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RNC cultivating young donors during after-party at Voyeur West Hollywood
By Alex Pappas — The Daily Caller 03/29/10 at 5:23 PM

A $1,946.25 bar tab at a bondage-themed Hollywood nightclub financed by the RNC was part of a night of cultivating young Republican donors, The Daily Caller learned Monday after first reporting the expense that showed up on recent FEC filing.

The California blog Red County reported that the outing at Voyeur West Hollywood was an after-party for a number of young Republicans who attended a Young Eagles event that night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Young Eagles is an RNC-sponsored program to cultivate 30- to 40-year olds seen as tomorrow’s big donors.

RNC chairman Michael Steele is not thought to have attended either event, according to Red County.

Erik Brown, who runs campaign firm DMI and has worked for prominent southern California Republicans, was reimbursed by the RNC for the Voyeur West Hollywood after party.

The night began at a Beverly Hills hotel, attended by about 50 people, which was the RNC official event. A fraction of those people went to the Voyeur West Hollywood afterward.

SNIP

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.

The RNC explains that Steele charters jets only when commercial service is unavailable,

Complaints, almost always expressed off the record, have been bitter. “This is not somebody who is out recruiting candidates,” said an aide who worked closely with Steele. “He is not meeting with donors. He’s not asking for money. The guy is writing his book or doing his speaking gigs, or whatever the hell else he fills his days with. Those are his priorities.”

A 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.

The club under controversy is hip to celebs/ Lady gaga, models etc and the 20-30’s. $200 bottle minimum can get you in and keep you out if not on “the list”. Erik Brown, donor, will probably pay it back..but how many business deals have been carried out in clubs, bars on company expense reports? What makes business/politics anyway different?? Republicans need to shake their image up now and then. It worked.