High flyer: RNC Chairman Steele suggested buying private jet with GOP funds(RNC Cash for sex club?

Daily Caller ^ | 3-29-10 | Jonathan Strong

[icwhatudo]

According to two knowledgeable sources, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele once raised the possibility of using party money to buy a private jet for his travel.

---snip---

While Steele has not purchased a plane, he continues to charter them. According to federal disclosure records, the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft in the month of February alone (as well as $12,691 on limousines during the same period). There are no readily identifiable private plane expenses for Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine in the DNC’s last three months of filings.

--snip---

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

[imjimbo]

Just another reason I NEVER contribute to the GOP anymore.

[dirtboy]

Whoa, Erik must be feeling the heat, that twitter link is GONE.

[Agamemnon]

Hard to believe this is true. The sources are anonymous.

Exactly. Funny how it took 23 posts to get to this simple fact.

A lot of knee jerks out there who can't smell a set up. I'm not a big fan of Steele since the dust up with Rush (although he did do a mea culpa afterward). The bigger thing in play that eludes all his present detractors on this thread is that this is little more than a bold attempt being made by a mole in the organization to depress GOP turn out and fund raising.

If I were to lay a guess on who's behind it I'd say it's probably Roger Stone.

I'd strongly doubt the BDSM stuff, until it's solidly proven otherwise. People are crucifying Steele on hear- say.

Very poor forensic debating style.

FReegards!

[dirtboy]

I'd strongly doubt the BDSM stuff, until it's solidly proven otherwise.

Read further, it's in the FEC report as a listed expense. Not from Steele, but from a direct mail / Young Republican guy named Erik Brown who Twitted from a Redskins game that he was hanging with Steele - Post 168, the account is now deleted (I did see it when the link was originally posted).

[Agamemnon]

Read further, it's in the FEC report as a listed expense. Not from Steele....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2482436/posts

And I said what about Steele and a possible frame up just now?

Dis-reputable sources. Chorttling Dems, and some Freepers fall for it straight out of the box with nothing corroborrating anything but hints, alleagtions, and hearsay

I'll hold my fire.

FReegards!

[dirtboy]

The expense in question was nearly two thousand dollars. It was the fourth largest request for a meal reimbursement for the entire month. Even if Steele knew nothing about it at the time, what kind of accounting system lets an obscure staffer run up a nearly two-grand tab at a perv club? Try that at work sometime.

And beyond that, the overall expense report raises a lot of eyebrows as well. None of this speaks well to Steele's overall leadership of the RNC as an effective tool to get funds to the state and local candidates that will be vital for winning in November.

[AlanD]

Oops, the story is true. Steele was never at the club, but a California GOP Consultant to Devore and the Poizner did bill the RNC for the charge, and the RNC approved it.

Can’t pin this on Steele exactly, but he must be running a loose ship there. If there hadn’t been a stripper and s&m there, it is a matter of course that RNC reimburses them.

Steele took the whole RNC to a nice vacation in Hawaii, while the Republican Congressmen were holed up in Baltimore for a vacation “retreat”.

The consultant was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he has generously agreed to drop the cookies back into the jar . . presumably they will be there for another day.

[Agamemnon]

Fundraising occurs at all levels. In places like Hollywood and LA, $2000 expenses/day is nothing at one event.

The way everyone is talking it's like Steele not only approved this staffer's expense account, but got some action himself.

I don't have any reason to believe that at this point.

That staffer will be gone.

Some Freepers around here who have been to that club and have such intimate knowledge of its goings on should probably point that finger back at themselves.

FReegards!

[dirtboy]

Fundraising occurs at all levels. In places like Hollywood and LA, $2000 expenses/day is nothing at one event.

Yeah, it was only the fourth largest meal expense of the month, but no one noticed?

The way everyone is talking it's like Steele not only approved this staffer's expense account, but got some action himself.

I've never claimed that Steele was there. My point is that he apparently is running a pretty loose ship, and is blowing a lot of money on everthing except candidates.

[mojitojoe]

He’s just like the nasty family squatting in the WH. USERS all of them. I will never send another dime to the RNC until Steele is out of there. I don’t trust him, I think he is hell bent on destroying the party.

[EternalVigilance]

Hah!

[La Enchiladita]

I was calling for his head before he was even hired. This is just one more example of why he must go.

So basically you admit you don't need evidence or documentation of any wrongdoing, just a senstionalist rumor from what appears to be a tabloid. After only a few minutes of reading, I see that it has nothing to do with Michael Steele. Someone named Erik Brown possibly misappropriated money.

But it is obvious the posting of this thread is an over-reach to smear the GOP. Is that what this site is becoming, an anti-GOP smear machine?

[CriticalJ]

A golden opportunity to get rid of the piece of trash. He has has no concept of what American conservatives want in a candidate or platform.

I was against him to start with and his LIBERAL use of funds to pamper himself have unfortunately proven my opinion correct.

[icwhatudo]

"I was calling for his head before he was even hired. This is just one more example of why he must go."

"So basically you admit you don't need evidence or documentation of any wrongdoing,

I feel a FEC report is pretty good evidence that the RNC paid for this. My point was I was against him from the start. Some people hate to say "I told you so"...I don't.

"just a senstionalist rumor from what appears to be a tabloid."

So the FEC report is just a rumor? If its all just rumor than then why is the RNC investigating the payment? Why have they identified the staffer? I guess it is just made up tabloid stuff you can't trust...like the national enquirer story on John Edwards.

After only a few minutes of reading, I see that it has nothing to do with Michael Steele. Someone named Erik Brown possibly misappropriated money.

The "it" being Steele's desire for a private plane? Or are you talking about the "it' being the RNC payment to the sex club? Last time I checked, Steele was head of the RNC.

But it is obvious the posting of this thread is an over-reach to smear the GOP.

You got me. I'm a 12 year deep super secret troll trying to destroy the GOP by getting rid of rinos. I know that if I can get rid of rinos the GOP will surely fall

"Is that what this site is becoming, an anti-GOP smear machine?

Last time I checked we were a conservative forum, not a GOP forum. Attacks on McCain (the GOP nominee) Romney (the GOP frontrunner in some polls) and several rinos like Graham, Crist, Newt, Snow , Collins, etc are common round these parts.

[Bigg Red]

Sorry, pretty weak tea to me.

&&
Same here. Also, I am not familiar with this source.

[SmartInsight]

FOR MUCH MORE INFO — shared by “fight_truth_decay” on a related thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2482436/posts?page=81#81

[SmartInsight]

“But it is obvious the posting of this thread is an over-reach to smear the GOP. Is that what this site is becoming, an anti-GOP smear machine?”

Unfortunately, this is another example of how a lot of conservatives are falling for the Dems “divide and conquer” strategy to ensure their win and continued unchecked control of the country.

[SmartInsight]

Before you hand Steele, please read this post on another thread, you may also want to read the article posted at the start of that thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2482436/posts?page=81#81

With a lot of good info and clarification provided by fight_truth_decay.

Among the important stuff, NOT the gossip — the RNC helpd the big Republican governor wins in Virginia and New Jersey.

” March 20 FEC filing shows the RNC has $9.5 million cash on hand. Steele began his tenure with $22.8 million, and has since raised $96.2 million. During the same period, however, the RNC has spent $109.6 million, for a deficit of $13.4 million. That spending included aid to the campaigns that elected Gov. Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey.

The story is less what’s left, and more what’s been spent,””said one longtime Republican operative.

**********Key: “.....the RNC had outraised the DNC in seven out of 12 months in 2009 and was raising gobs of money in the wake of President Obama signing health care reform legislation into law.”

[SmartInsight]

Update:

RNC Fires Employee Over Bar Expense

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404575152461551782520.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

...After the event, several Republicans went to the club on their own, Mr. McKay wrote.

...Mr. McKay also said the committee fired a staffer who was at the bar and had told Mr. Brown he could obtain reimbursement for the tab.

“This was not an RNC sanctioned event and was not associated in any way with any RNC official event,” Mr. McKay said in his memo, which was addressed to committee members.

[rlmorel]

LOL!