Rick Perry Parties in Las Vegas on Taxpayers' Dime

[ccharles000]

AUSTIN – They say that what happens in Las Vegas stays there, but for Rick Perry, not all of it has.

The governor's Oct. 24 political trip to Las Vegas to meet with Brian Sandoval, a Republican candidate for Nevada governor, included a bachelor party for Perry's son, Griffin, spokesman Mark Miner conceded Thursday.

He initially declined to call it a bachelor's party, saying he would describe it more as a dinner. He confirmed, though, that it was a celebration of Griffin Perry's upcoming nuptials joined by a number of his male friends.

Miner said he didn't know how many people attended the dinner and couldn't provide details about any other festivity, saying he wasn't there.

The governor used a combination of money from his political donors and the Republican Governors Association to pay for his Vegas trip. It's illegal to use campaign funds for personal travel, but Perry has a history of combining business with pleasure trips so that political entities will pick up the tab.

He did it in February 2004 when he and his wife were joined by a handful of campaign supporters and anti-tax advocates on a trip to the Bahamas to discuss public school finance. That summer, he also went on a trade mission to Italy joined by his wife and daughter.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-perryvegas_26tex.ART.State.Edition1.4b7cd21.html

[PDittie]

1. If this guy manages to get re-elected governor

He's running for President in 2012. You all want another moron Texan in the White House, right?