The name on the reimbursement slip for around $2,000 in “meals” at a bondage-themed nightclub in West Hollywood is Erik Brown. Turns out the guy has a profile as a California political consultant.
A California-based political consultant who charged the Republican National Committee nearly $2,000 for a night out at Voyeur – a risque West Hollywood nightclub now at center of the latest controversy surrounding RNC chairman Michael Steele – will return the money to the party, a committee spokesman told CNN Monday.
Erik Brown, president of the Orange County-based Dynamic Marketing, Inc., was re-imbursed in February for $1,946.25 worth of charges at the nightclub, according to the RNC’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Brown is also the Political Director of the Orange County Young Republicans. Here’s who he’s been working for in California lately:
Brown’s firm, which also has an office in Washington, D.C., has done direct mail and consulting work for GOP candidates in California including Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, now a candidate for Senate, and Steve Poizner, the state Insurance Commissioner now running for governor.
Brown did not respond to phone calls or e-mails seeking comment, but he has spent time with Steele in the past. In October, Brown tweeted: “Enjoying the football game with RNC Chairman Michael Steele. (Eagles vs Redskins at FedEx Field).”
Maybe Brown accompanied Steele to this game (look at the :30 mark):
UPDATE: CA conservative blog Red County gives more details: seems the after-hours event was a continuation of a “Young Eagles” party (I’m creeped out, too):
According to sources who were in attendance that night, the “official” part of the evening started with 50+ person dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel, then carried on throughout the evening, eventually ending up at Voyeur. While RNC employees, who were in town to recruit members to its “RNC Young Eagles” program, did participate throughout the entire evening and did find their way to the bondage-themed club, Michael Steele himself was “not in attendance” for any portion of the evening. Brown, by the way, is reportedly a “Young Eagle” himself, a fundraising sub-group of the RNC which targets larger donors based on age group.
Presumably, the Daily Caller (which broke this whole story on its website earlier today) is continuing to pour through RNC disclosure documents. If so, it will likely find significant sums spent by the RNC on services rendered by DMI; not only do local politicos report that Brown liked to brag about his ties to this and other state-wide and national organizations and campaigns, but it would seem consistent with someone who would think he could get away with running through such a large expense.




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Got one of those on in the NYC area? I’m kinda lost now that Plato’s Retreat has been closed for so long. /s
MSNBC is reporting that NASA spends something like 65000 on friggin snacks just for meetings!!
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are getting beyond reprehensible. Let the damn millionaires spend their own money.
Takeout to the ISS is moider …
Will be worse once the shuttle is cancelled. Have to pay to taxi it up!
Paging Larry Craig. Paging Larry Craig.
This smut is just outrageous, and completely full of innuendo the worst kind, and typical of left wing liberals, especially that awful Hamsher woman.
These honorable Republican Officials were legitimately canvassing small business owners on the issues of accounting for and paying taxes on cash income.
It was an intensive question and answer session, when they probed deeply into these and many other issues of concern.
How dare you cast aspersions on their good names while they went about the lawful business.
Worked for the RNC? Seems wasteful to pay for a spanking when you could most certainly get one for free.
More in their line
I would think that a game between the Oilers and the Packers would be more in line with what we’re learning about the RNC’s tastes.
There’s never enough sexual variety around when you need it.
OT question re “micro-targeting”– FDL writer, Lisa Derrick, had reported “So my census form came yesterday and I filled it out and there are some pretty interesting questions. Like how many people live in your house, what are their names, races and relationships to you.” (“Late Night: Census Questions,” March 16, 2010, accessible at http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2010/03/16/late-night-census-questions). Is Census data ending up in Democratic or Republican Party micro-targeting efforts? Why is this specific data being gathered, what is it being used for and with whom is it being shared? Another EW FOIA?
The “Young Eagles” also have a fundraiser planned at the Moyock, NC, headquarters of Xe (pronounced Blackwater).
OT– 1) This springs to mind: “the task force examined allegations that 25 federal agencies had received political briefings that might have violated the Hatch Act, which bans the use of government resources to promote or oppose a political party or candidate”
- from “POGO Reveals Internal OSC Document Shows Bloch Misused Own Task Force,” May 7, 2008
2) The Census time peculiar. Very JIT of them. Could it be a data verification process given that ChoicePoint’s British white knight, Reed Elsevier PLC (http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2008/02/21/choicepoint-checks-out-bid-for-furniture-trw-motors-on/?mod=googlenews_barrons), and the telecos? Very curious.
OK, Colbert, Stewart, Maddow … perfect material for tonight here and here.
1) The Census Bureau puts out only aggregate data for 72 years after a census.
2) That aggregate data has to include numbers and ethnic information, so that redistricting and targeted programs can be planned correctly.
3) This has been in the planning stages for several years, and it’s done by mail – and has been done by mail in the past – because it’s faster and cheaper than sending a zillion people out door-to-door across the entire country. (Some of the 19th century censuses took six to eight months, and then seven or eight years to do the arithmetic.)
This is all information that’s on the Census website, as well as in the cover packet that you probably didn’t read. There’s absolutely nothing hinky about it.
Sounds to me like Steele does know about the glass cases with girls near the bathrooms at the bondage restaurant that cost the RNC 1940 –some dollars for “meals”.
On the Huffington Post
Borowitz quotes Michael Steele saying same sex unions are “incredibly hot, especially when the girls are getting it on in a glass case.”
When asked if his comment meant that the GOP now favored same-sex marriage, Mr. Steele clarified his position: “If we’re talking about two hot lesbian girls simulating marriage in a glass case, yes, I am very much into that sort of thing.”
“MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda_m01-05/)
“A U.S. Biometrics Agency” (http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2010/03/biometrics_agency.html)