Security for Jindal’s travels costs Lousiana taxpayers

As Gov. Bobby Jindal’s profile in the Republican Party rises, so does the bill for Louisiana taxpayers.
Widely considered a GOP presidential contender, Jindal insists he’s only interested in re-election as governor, but he has traveled to a dozen states to collect campaign dollars and stump for himself or other Republicans.
An Associated Press review shows that providing legally mandated security on such trips has cost the state treasury tens of thousands of dollars since Jindal took office in January 2008, money that has not been reimbursed by Jindal or his campaign.
The tally grew higher this week as Jindal traveled to New York and then to Boston for fundraisers. The Boston fundraiser, on Thursday, was sponsored by former GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney.
Jindal’s office says his campaign fund or event host covered the cost of travel to Iowa, California, North Carolina, Arizona and other fundraising or political stops. But taxpayers paid for the state police bodyguards accompanying Jindal, even when the sole purpose of the trip was fundraising.
The state has paid at least $52,000 in trooper costs for Jindal’s fundraising and political travel. That’s more than half the state-paid trooper expenses on all Jindal out-of-state travel.
Taxpayers have shelled out at least $98,000 to cover trooper airfare, meals, car rentals and hotels for all Jindal travel outside Louisiana, including economic development bids, and meetings with members of Congress, the president or other governors.
At least 17 out-of-state trips weren’t tied to state business, an AP review of state police travel records shows. Tax dollars also paid a $3,800 bill for trooper support when Jindal’s wife, Supriya, hit the campaign trail with Cindy McCain last year to stump for Republican John McCain’s presidential bid.
Louisiana law requires state police protection for the governor and his family. The statute doesn’t limit the type of travel. It’s unclear, however, whether the state could accept reimbursement from Jindal’s campaign fund for campaign-related travel expenses. Neither Jindal nor the state police have sought ethics board guidance on the subject.
Jindal, who has championed tougher ethics standards, said he always
touts Louisiana when he’s on the road. The aggressive political travel, he said, is to ensure he has enough money for a 2011 re-election bid. He’s raised more than $3 million since his inauguration.
“In 2007, I ran against two millionaires able to self-finance. They were able to write checks for several million dollars. That’s not something I can do, so I want to make sure we’ve got the resources to get the message out,” the governor said.