RNC hits 'bondage club' story

[cali]

The Republican National Committee is pushing back hard Monday on a story in The Daily Caller, telling POLITICO that Chairman Michael Steele was “never” at a bondage-themed nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif., as the publication suggests.

Buried in a Daily Caller story claiming that Steele suggested buying a private jet with RNC funds is the statement that “Steele travels in style,” citing, among other things, $1,946.25 “spent at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.”

POLITICO confirmed the RNC expense by examining the committee’s February Federal Election Commission filing. POLITICO also confirmed that the information provided on $1,946 in RNC funds spent Feb. 4 matches the nightclub’s Santa Monica address. The report, however, does not say who actually made the expenditure at the club.

The nightclub’s website was down Monday morning, and a phone call to the club’s promoter was not returned.

An RNC spokesperson told POLITICO that the committee is “investigating the expenditure in question" and went on to question the reporting behind the story.

“The story willfully and erroneously suggests that the expenditure in question was one belonging to the chairman,” the spokesperson said. “This was a reimbursement made to a noncommittee staffer. The chairman was never at the location in question; he had no knowledge of the expenditure; nor does he find the use of committee funds at such a location at all acceptable.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35148.html#ixzz0jagMX6ow

[louis-t]

1. This is gonna be fun.

Watching repugs spinning this.

[JBoy]

2. LOL. Their defence is that they reimburse staffers to go to bondage clubs.

[onenote]

3. wtf is a "noncommittee staffer"?

What is he (assuming it was a he) a staffer of and why is the RNC reimbursing this "noncommittee staffer"?

[cali]

4. yeah, that caught my eye.

let's find out.

[brooklynite]

6. Guessing this means RNC staff rather than the actual Committee Members (3 per State)

[klook]

11. Oh, it's just noncommittee staffers

and simulated Lesbian sex. No biggie.

:spray:

[Cosmocat]

12. LOL ... That struck me, too ...

Why do I have the feeling that this ends up being a "liberal" ...

[Old and In the Way]

19. Not sure this is any better than attributing the expense to Steele.

If this is some "non-committee staffer" - that person has got some serious chutzpah to put in for reimbursement. And the RNC still has to explain why they paid it. The real story is that the RNC can't keep their own fiscal house in order...just like they couldn't do it when they had control of the WH and Congress.

[brooklynite]

5. Perhaps "hits" isn't the best choice of words...

[pinboy3niner]

7. Yeah. "flogs" would be better . . . nt

[brooklynite]

9. No, someone who wanted to promote the story would be "flogging it"

[pinboy3niner]

14. You're right--my bad! nt

[GliderGuider]

22. Who cares about the story?

Tell me more about the flogging...:evilgrin:

[pinboy3niner]

23. I understand the Steele threads have links to the bondage club's

website (and don't forget the Searchlight threads with Caribou Barbie in pleather). Have a great time!:evilgrin:

[BeyondGeography]

8. Good fun for now, but I hope our filings are clean

Lots of WTF's have been known to get into FEC filings (See, "Edwards, John").

[brooklynite]

10. Here's our link...

http://query.nictusa.com/pdf/169/10990396169/10990396169.pdf#navpanes=0

The most risque name I can find is a $77 dinner at the "Can Can Brasserie". I suspect, if there was something equally juicy, the Republicans would be screaming about it by now.

[BeyondGeography]

16. Thanks...The only scandal in there is the money wasted on Coakley

[frazzled]

13. The buck stops on Steele's desk, whether he was there or not

He's responsible for all RNC reimbursements. End of story.

[Maru Kitteh]

15. Perhaps he was there with Mistress Sarah?

wouldn't that be grand.

[BR_Parkway]

17. So isn't he the one who signs off on these? But has no knowledge of it?

and doesn't find it acceptable?

Next thing you know, they'll claim the Pope was the first one to report all the child molesters

[Bitwit1234]

18. Imitating lesbian sex. well if nothing else that seals it.

republicans don't want no lesbian sex.

[izzybeans]

20. I think we found out where Palin's leather jacket came from.

[Matariki]

21. Yeah right. Bad, 'questionable' reporting. The reporter should be spanked.

:rofl:

[JBoy]

24. This photo won't be good for Steele: