The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took less than a week to approve Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) 2007 request for Secret Service protection, according to government documents recently released to The Hill.

The decision to grant Obama Secret Service protection last year was the earliest ever for a presidential candidate and was made at the highest levels of the Obama campaign and DHS.

In an April 27, 2007, letter to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe formally requested the protection “as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made.” Plouffe noted that the Secret Service is authorized to provide protection to “major presidential” candidates “as identified by an advisory committee consisting of the House Speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority and minority leaders, and one additional member.”

Plouffe added, “My understanding is that this advisory committee has met and has advised you that Sen. Obama is a ‘major presidential candidate.’ ”

Six days later, Chertoff wrote a memo to Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan directing his agency “to provide direction to Sen. Obama, effective May 3, 2007, at 3:00 p.m., until further directed.”

The documents were obtained by The Hill through a Freedom of Information Act request.

DHS at the time indicated that the decision to grant Obama protection was not based on a specific threat.