Ron Paul, the only Republican presidential candidate who hasn’t requested Secret Service protection, says he and the other candidates aren’t entitled to it,
The Hill reports.
“It’s a form of welfare,” the Texas representative said on NBC's “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
“You know, you’re having the taxpayers pay to take care of somebody, and I’m an ordinary citizen. I would think I should pay for my own protection, and it costs, I think, more than $50,000 a day to protect those individuals. It’s a lot of money,” Paul said.
Paul had a quick answer when Leno asked him what he would choose for his Secret Service code name, The Hill reports.
“Bulldog,” the Texas congressman said with emphasis.
And why that moniker?
“I go after the Fed and all that big spending,” Paul said with a smile while waving a clenched fist.
The three other candidates – Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich – have secret service protection, The Hill reports. GQ magazine revealed this week that Romney’s code name is "Javelin," while Santorum's is "Petrus."
Santorum teased Romney about his code name in an appearance on Fox News Tuesday. "I understand they named it after an American Motors car,” the former Pennsylvania senator said. “I remember the Javelin. It was a very unusual car, so I think it sort of fits."
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