The reverberations from the report that the Republican National Committee financed an almost $2,000 bar tab at a risqué Hollywood nightclub have hardly quieted.
“If they want to keep this story alive, fine with us,” the Democratic National Committee, referencing their Republican counterparts, wrote in the subject line of an e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday.
The Voyeur-gate story has yet to escape the headlines, as it was reported Wednesday that Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, in the wake of the news, is telling members of the Christian conservative group to stop donating to the RNC. And the Republican group that caters to 20- and 40-something donors, the Young Eagles — that spent almost $2,000 at the bondage-themed nightclub in Hollywood — has been temporarily shut down.
The circus began with a single line in a story published by The Daily Caller on Monday that reported the RNC spent $1,946.25 “at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.”
But despite the story breaking at the beginning of the week, the fire was fanned from an unlikely source Wednesday — the RNC itself. Committee spokesman Doug Heye sent out a list of Democratic expenditures that he said would be “of interest” to reporters, including dollars spent on high-end hotels, tickets and catering at Fenway Park and at the Washington nightclub Josephine. He instead gave the DNC a chance to pounce on them again on the subject.
“If Republicans want to compare our spending to their spending and allow us to say Michael Steele approved spending money at a Hollywood sex club a few more times – that’s fine with us,” DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan wrote in an e-mail distributed to reporters.
It’s also made fodder for comedians such as Jay Leno and Jon Stewart. But it’s far from funny for others, like Perkins who writes in his newsletter to religious conservatives that instead of giving money to the RNC, members should “give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values.”
“This latest incident is another indication to me the RNC is completely tone-deaf to the values and concerns of a large number of people they are seeking financial support from,” writes Perkins, referencing the nightclub story.
After Allison Meyers — who led the RNC’s Young Eagles and was said to have requested the Voyeur nightclub bar tab reimbursed — was fired, donors were e-mailed Wednesday saying the young donor group’s events have been canceled pending a review of the program and its financial structure, RNC spokesman Doug Heye confirmed. Events canceled include a planned trip to Opening Day for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Young Eagles Leadership Summit and the group’s planned outing to Gold Cup, a steeplechase in Virginia horse country.
“The RNC finance staff is going to review the Young Eagles club throughout the week of April 5. In this review, we will ascertain the YE’s current financial status (costs to revenues) and membership breakdown (fully paids, partially paids and event fee participants),” the e-mail to donors read.
Not everyone — including a number of Daily Caller readers who post comments on stories — is a fan of the continued attention. One commenter, who goes by the name “hurtzallot,” wrote under a recent piece, “How would one recognize when a story has no more legs?” User “jimw” strikes a similar tone, writing, “anything else going on these days? jeez, back page this for awhile.”