Perry's Travel, Security Tab Secret Til After 2012

Rick Perry's presidential campaign comes with a large security detail provided by Texas state police, but its costs are going to secret for the next 18 months, thanks to a provision added to a school finance bill, reports the Washington Post. Perry—who was “extremely concerned” to protect his travel and security expenses, according to one Republican legislator—urged the state legislature to seal his travel records in a special session that ended July 1, actively lobbying senators in the last days of the session.

Perry was embarrassed in 2004 when newspapers reported the public tab for security on the governor's trip to the Bahamas, which included scuba gear and golf cart rentals. Since then, Perrry has kept travel information quiet, with officials citing security concerns, even as newspapers have pressed for details. “The money belongs to the people of Texas and they need to have an account of it,” said one Republican representative. “You can do this without jeopardizing security.” (More Rick Perry stories.)