Just hours before GOP Consultant Ron Bonjean‘s infamous Christmas Party Saturday night, word began leaking that the mystery party guest was from The Wonder Years. Bonjean, a GOP consultant, and his wife, Sara, host the party annually at their expansive Alexandria, Va. home where they break out a humongous tent and invite a bunch of reporters, political types and strange elves over to party. It’s not the hardest invite to lasso if you’re remotely social and have a Capitol Hill connection or a byline, but it’s not the simplest to secure either. Not everyone gets in.
Last year there was urinating on neighbors’ lawns. What holiday cheer would this year bring?
In past years, mystery guests have caused quite a stir. For whatever reason, it’s exciting for high level aides and big shot reporters to have D-list actors (okay that’s generous, maybe G-list, in your midst. Last year was the touchy-feely Erik Estrada of Chips fame. Previous years included a former America’s Next Top Model contestant (2009), the low-key Dennis Hoskins (2010), who played “Mr. Belding” on Save by the Bell, , and the definitely not-so-low-key Gary Busey (2011), who was spectacularly spotted snapping female party-goers’ bras — who does that these days? This year’s mystery washed up actor was Dustin Neil Diamond (yes, his parents really hate him) who played the ultra-geeky “Screech” on Saved by the Bell. He also appeared on two episodes of The Wonder Years. Here’s a fun fact: In 2009, Diamond published a tell-all, Behind the Bell. In it, he claimed he had sex with more than 2,000 women and revealed a bunch of secrets about his fellow actors. Good times. For more dirty details on that, read here. At the party, there were also Elvis and Austin Powers impersonators. We hear Sen. Lamar Alexander‘s (R-Tenn.) ex-Chief of Staff Ryan Loskarn was also supposed to attend the weekend party. He has attended in years past, but he’s a little tied up at the moment. His bail hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Speaking of unwelcome guests, GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak flew in from Austin for the party even though sources tell The Mirror he was not invited. But it’s not like party organizers weren’t warned. The news was announced in Saturday’s Politico Playbook (which he helps Mike Allen write one day a week) that he was in town for the party. In other words, he announced he was crashing.
In more positive party news, guests seemed to enjoy Screech’s presence. “He was nice. Took pictures with anyone who asked,” a party-goer told The Mirror. And he behaved graciously when the car he was picked up in by Bonjean’s friend “Out of Town Tom” and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor‘s (R-Va.) Deputy Chief of Staff Doug Heye got a flat tire.
Screech later departed in a black Cadillac Escalade, according to AP‘s Ken Thomas. See Screech and the starfuckers who tweeted out pictures with him below.
