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Home Front: Politix
RNC Denies Steele Expensed Trip to X-Rated Club
2010-03-30
The Democratic National Committee is having a field day Monday at the expense of its cross-town rivals at the RNC--or the "Risque National Committee," as the Dems put it in one of the blizzard of e-mailed releases they are sending out.

It started overnight when a politically themed blog, The Daily Caller, released the latest report about RNC Chairman Michael Steele's spending habits and his affinity for flying private jets at party expense.

The story also said that Steele dropped more than $15,000 of committee money on a recent trip to the Los Angeles area.

Included in the RNC's report for February spending was $1,946.25 for "meals" at Voyeur West Hollywood, which the online article said was a "bondage themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex."

The Daily Caller says the FEC filings "suggest" that "Steele travels in style." From there it wasn't much of a leap for the DNC to send out emails stating that "Yes, it appears that Michael Steele spent RNC money" at the nightclub.

No way to know, from the monthly RNC filing (all 2,500 pages), just who was there.

The line immediately above the expense in question in the FEC report provides a clue.

It contains a payment to Erik Brown, at an address in Orange, California, who was reimbursed for the $1,946.25.

Brown is a Republican direct mail consultant (his business address is the one on the FEC report). He did not immediately respond to a telephone call from The Baltimore Sun.

In a follow-up item, the Daily Caller reported that Brown appears to be close to Steele: In October, Brown wrote on Twitter, "Enjoying the football game with RNC Chairman Michael Steele. (Eagles vs Redskins at FedEx Field)".
Posted by:Fred

#16  The private jets cost a whole lot more than the titty bar. The RNC has been spending money like water under Steele's leadership. Frugal he is not and as such is a lousy figurehead for the party moving forward. Toss him out says I!
Posted by: remoteman   2010-03-30 23:38  

#15  TW, I disagree somewhat. Steele has been Biden-esque in terms of stepping on his crank, and has mismanaged the RNC with questionable issues cropping up too often.

Steele must go - he is the head, and the responsibility rests with him. No more buckpassing.
Posted by: OldSpook   2010-03-30 21:44  

#14  Tucker Carlson, call me.
Posted by: Rahm   2010-03-30 21:43  

#13  More:

The Republican National Committee staffer who was fired Monday for coordinating the use of donor money to pay the $2,000 tab at a California strip club was warned ahead of time that the party would not cover such expenses, the RNC chief of staff said in a letter to members.

RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay wrote in a letter Tuesday that the donor who was reimbursed for the expense, Erik Brown, has "verbally agreed" to repay the money to the national party.

McKay said "a group of individuals" attended the club after a "Young Eagles" donor event in Los Angeles, but that "this was not an RNC sanctioned event and was not associated in any way with any RNC official event."

Elsewhere I've read that the expense report was submitted with the note, "Meals," not "entertainment". A bookkeeper would not necessarily question that.

The article goes on to list some of the other expenses of that donor event, each of which no doubt cost a great more than $2,000, but which raised no eyebrows among the bloggers fussing about this item.

Bottom line up front: sly kid tries to pull a fast one, gets caught and gets fired, sucker who should have known better has to eat the expense... and those who tried to raise a lynch mob are quietly hunting for the next Republican/Conservative/Tea Party/business victim to frame.
Posted by: trailing wife   2010-03-30 15:56  

#12  Headless Body Brainless Staffer at a Topless Bar

Posted by: Frozen Al   2010-03-30 15:44  

#11  but frankly, the truth is _bad enough_.

TO some of us 1600 dollars is a whole lot of money.

Agreed, Snowy Thing. So does RNC management, it seems, as they fired the idiot, and will no doubt go after him for the money he conned Mr. Brown out of, assuring him the RNC would reimburse him. Sadly, most enterprises sooner or later make hiring mistakes.
Posted by: trailing wife   2010-03-30 13:57  

#10  Sounds like a typicall vh1 or oxygen channel show; some g4 shows or comedy channel commercial.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2010-03-30 11:07  

#9  TW, I understand that the media is probably exaggerating, but frankly, the truth is _bad enough_.

TO some of us 1600 dollars is a whole lot of money.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2010-03-30 10:52  

#8  An unnamed RNC staffer was fired, Nimble Spemble. See here. This is exactly the kind of thing that has the MSM types extolling the necessity of having editors on staff. Not that the MSM makes proper use of the people, but at least they have them to prevent the kind of outright lies deliberately spread bly the blogs that wrote this story.
Posted by: trailing wife   2010-03-30 10:47  

#7  This is what our political class on both sides has become.

Fully corrupt and feeling unaccountable for their actions.

Support the canidate you like, not the RNC. The rot is at all levels of our politics.
Posted by: DarthVader   2010-03-30 09:20  

#6  It doesn't matter if Steele was at the club physically or not. He's kept on a staffer who thought it was a good idea to drop a lot of money where it would show up on FEC accounts that it was spent at a lousy damn strip club.

Either he's a democrat plant or a VERY incompetent republican, and either way should be fired.

And the hotel expenses don't look too good either.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2010-03-30 09:09  

#5  I send what little I can directly to the candidate, NOT the party. If there's anything left over, I'll be the one going to the titty bar for sirloin and mash.
Posted by: Besoeker   2010-03-30 07:49  

#4  Who was fired?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2010-03-30 07:00  

#3  It sounds more like an "R" rated club to me.

Jus' sayin'
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2010-03-30 06:22  

#2  Is the glitter beginning to wear off?
Posted by: gorb   2010-03-30 04:07  

#1  It was a staffer. It was NOT Steele.
The media in this country is useless.
Posted by: newc   2010-03-30 01:03  

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