Perry's Haul as Governor: $23K in Gifts

(Newser) – Rick Perry’s salary may be $150,000 a year—but his total haul as Texas governor also includes more than a couple pairs of cowboy boots. Perry has received at least 90 gifts during his tenure, together worth at least $22,500, Politico reports. Among them are the boots (22 pairs), belt buckles, Stetson hats, health tests, and hunting trips. The gifts don’t violate Texas ethics rules, and they’re all “reported in accordance with Texas law,” says a rep; gifts worth at least $250 must be disclosed.

There’s a lot of overlap between the gift-givers and Perry’s political donors: He has received some $6.4 million in gubernatorial campaign donations from those who have given him presents. And the governor gives back: Ten or more of the gift givers have won state appointments. The owner of an insurance company who’s given Perry $290,000, employed the governor’s kids, and offered him plenty of sports tickets scored a spot on the Texas A&M board of regents. The bootmaker who provided Perry with 10 pairs hasn’t gotten a job out of it—but he has started making a pair “with the presidential seal on them,” he said.