Wherever Governor Inslee travels on his presidential run, there will be one or two armed security guards close by from the State Patrol's Executive Protection Unit, and Washington state taxpayers will be paying for every hour of that protection.
And that protection is expensive.
Last year, the governor's security detail was budgeted at $2.6 million. But Inslee traveled out of state 49 days as the head of the Democratic Governors Association, and that travelling security cost taxpayers $409,000 over the budgeted amount.
This year, Governor Inslee requested an additional $1.33 million to fund his executive protection as he travels the country.
"I think at the very least, the citizens of the state should not have to pay for his state patrol executive security detail for his campaign," Senator Mark Schoesler (R) Spokane.
Schoesler is calling for Inslee's campaign funds to reimburse the State Patrol for all the extra travel, the hotels, and the overtime.
Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker used his presidential campaign donations to re-pay his State Patrol security hundreds of thousands of dollars when he ran.
KIRO 7 learned the State Patrol will meet with Governor Inslee next week to discuss how to pay for the extra security on the road, and where the money comes from.
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