Updated 10:45 a.m. 3/30/10
A Republican National Committee staffer was fired after The Daily Caller reported Monday that the committee paid a bar tab of nearly $2,000 for young GOP donors at the risqué, bondage-themed Voyeur West Hollywood nightclub.
The terminated staffer was identified Tuesday by the Hotline as Allison Meyers, who led the RNC’s Young Eagles group of young donors who sponsored a Hollywood dinner the same night as the Voyeur outing.
An RNC statement released to the New York Times on Monday night suggests that Meyers asked Erik Brown — a California political operative who FEC filings show was reimbursed by the committee for the Voyeur outing — to charge the bar tab on his credit card.
Doug Heye, the RNC’s spokesman, issued the following statement:
At the outset, Chairman Steele was not at Voyeur West Hollywood. He had no knowledge of the expenditure, nor does he find the use of committee funds at such a location acceptable. While some in the press have suggested Chairman Steele was at the venue, he was not and no proof has been offered that he was. When the expense was incurred, Chairman Steele was on United flight # 0084, returning from the RNC Winter Meeting.
Upon finding out of the expenditure this morning, Chairman Steele demanded the committee get to the bottom of this matter immediately.
The committee has taken appropriate steps to address the issues relating to the reimbursement of certain expenses. First, as reported, the expenditure in question will be recouped by the RNC. Second, appropriate personnel actions have been taken and accounting and reimbursement processes are being revised to ensure that such an action cannot reoccur. We recognize the difficulty this incident has caused and assure our members and supporters that any necessary and proper remediation is being implemented immediately.
It is unfortunate that a loyal GOP donor who has recruited other donors became involved in this incident while merely trying to help what turned out to be the improper request of a staffer who is no longer with the committee.