You may recall this incident from last March: an aide to Rep. Ron Paul was detained at an airport while the TSA (and local cops) asked why he was carrying $4,700 in cash on him.

The aide, Steve Bierfeldt, felt that was nobody’s business, and the ACLU agreed and filed suit. That lawsuit has now been dropped, says the Washington Times, because the TSA has “quietly” issued new rules.

According to the paper, TSA searches must relate to “transportation security” only – and a TSA spokesman told FareCompare the following in an email:

“Currency alone is not a threat, and TSA does not restrict the amount of currency a traveler may carry through the checkpoint.” –TSA, 11-11-09

Note: These new directives “don’t affect a situation where a TSA officer…comes across evidence of illegal activity, such as a bag of illicit drugs” – and it happens. We also know TSA folks sometimes find concealed firearms – even the occasional baby alligator.