The back and forth between Democrats and Republicans over Voyeur-Gate continues. Earlier today, RNC spokesman Doug Heye sent out a list of DNC expenditures he said reporters would find “of interest.” The full list is at the bottom of this post.
That prompted a fiery response from DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan, who sent an e-mail to reporters saying the RNC was “flailing” and “desperate to change the subject” (although the cumulative effect of all this is that it does anything but change the subject).
“The DNC, unlike the RNC, does not conduct business while watching women engaged in lesbian bondage scenes,” Sevugan wrote.
The full Sevugan e-mail is here:
We can’t confirm that any of this is true – you’d have to check the FEC reports – which I would suggest you do after the fake memo issue on the Hill. But, assuming these expenses are true, you will notice – there are no expenses on here related to sex clubs. The DNC, unlike the RNC, does not conduct business while watching women engaged in lesbian bondage scenes.
We understand that RNC is desperate to change the subject, but pointing out ordinary expenses related to fundraising activities, including some from over a year ago, just comes off as flailing. Unlike RNC expenses for redecorating the Chairman’s office or table service at a bondage club, these expenses were not for personal use but for the actual functioning of the party and activities that added to the coffers rather than emptying them. Respecting and leveraging donor contributions rather than wasting them may be unusual for the dysfunctional fundraising shop at the RNC, but it shouldn’t be for a professional operation.
The RNC got in trouble not because it was doing traditional fundraising at hotels, or holding meetings at hotels, – and we’ve never raised that issue. They got in trouble with their donors because they are spending more money than they are raising (deficit spending is a pattern with Republicans) and because they are doing so in part at sex clubs.
Instead of spending their time pushing around examples of how the DNC efficiently spent money to catch up to them in fundraising and cash on hand, perhaps the RNC should spend their time scrutinizing their own books to weed out their Chairman’s profligate spending habits.
But, 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.
Heye responded:
This is a conversation the DNC needs to have with itself. Just yesterday on MSNBC, Gov. Kaine said, “If we see folks doing things of this kind, expenditures that are over the top and super luxurious, they ain’t staying here. We are in a tough time.” Yet we see that is clearly not true. The DNC is just like the Obama Administration; their words say one thing and their actions say another.
Here is the list of DNC expenditures distributed by the RNC’s Doug Heye: (Continued on next page)
The DNC Spent At Least $2,204,000 For Luxury Hotels & Caterers, Including:
The DNC Has Spent At Least $423,000 At Mandarin Oriental Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $530,000 At Hilton Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $7,000 At The Fontainebleau In Miami Beach. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In August, The DNC Spent At Least $125,513 At The Hyatt Hotel In Chicago. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $162,787 At The Westin St. Francis In San Francisco. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid Avalon Caterers At Least $297,708 In The Past 15 Months. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In August, The DNC Spent At Least $31,715 At The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In December, The DNC Spent At Least $12,146 At Beachfront Resort Hotel Del Coronado In San Diego. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $92,190 At The Mayflower Hotel. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $48,063 For Events And Lodging At Sheraton Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $72,314 For Events And Lodging At Hyatt Regency Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In January 2009, The DNC At Least Spent $29,037 At The Henley Park Hotel In Washington, DC. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In January 2009, The DNC At Least Spent $20,000 At The Marriot Hotel In Washington, DC. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid Susan Gage Caterers At Least $93,596. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In April, The DNC Spent At Least $5,175 At The Hay – Adams Hotel. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $30,000 At Loews Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $2,812 At Elysian Beach Resort. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $21,724 At Westin Hotels. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In April, The DNC Spent At Least $5,752 At The Four Seasons Hotel. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In April, The DNC Spent At Least $1,300 At The Beverly Hills Hotel. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $75,000 For Car Services, Including:
The DNC Has Paid At Least $4,464 To Carey International, Inc., A Limousine Service. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid At Least $2,861 To Arrow Limousine. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid At Least $12,000 To Singh Car Service. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid At Least $33,000 To Premiere Transportation. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid At Least $1,998 To RMA Chauffeured Transportation. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Paid At Least $5,481 To R&R Limousine. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent At Least $262,000 For Other Events, Including:
The DNC Spent Over $24,000 For Event(s) At The Kennedy Center. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent Over $26,000 For Tickets And Catering At Fenway Park. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Spent Over $16,000 At DC Nightclub Josephine. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In October, The DNC Spent At Least $63,953.00 At The Standard Club. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In January 2009, The DNC Spent At Least $12,293 At Boss Bar In Chicago. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
The DNC Has Spent At Least $39,802 On Gifts And Trinkets. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In December, The DNC Paid The Dallas Cowboys Organization $17,125. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In December, The DNC Spent At Least $31,036 At The Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In January 2009, The DNC Spent At Least Spent $13,316 At Lucky Strike In Washington, DC. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In April, The DNC Spent At Least $11,476 At The St. Louis Club. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In August, The DNC Spent At Least $4,557 At The Triple Door Concert Venue In Seattle. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In August, The DNC Paid At Least $1,500 At To The Washington Nationals. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In December, The DNC Spent At Least At $6,110 The Metropolitan Club In Washington, DC. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)
In January 2010, The DNC Spent At Least Spent $2,782 At Petterino’s In Chicago. (Federal Elections Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed: 3/31/10)