By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The cost to taxpayers to provide Secret Service protection to presidential candidates has skyrocketed this year.

The Secret Service has already spent more than $200 million to protect the candidates, CNBC reports. 

By contrast, the Secret Service spent $113 million for presidential candidate protection in 2012 and about $85 million in 2008.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has come under fire because he took Secret Service agents with hi overseas to celebrate the opening of a golf course this week.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also has caught criticism for continuing to use Secret Service agents even after his campaign appears to be over.

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