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Lavish Clinton gala costs detailed

May 20, 2005

New Orleans political operative Ray Reggie took the stand Thursday in the trial of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s former finance director to describe how expenses such as lavish party favors — director’s chairs for every guest — and efforts to round up private jets for celebrity performers helped drive the costs of a Hollywood gala into the stratosphere.

And Clinton’s finance director, David Rosen, knew it, Reggie testified on the sixth day of Rosen’s trial.

Rosen, 40, is charged with making false statements to the Federal Election Commission about the cost of the August 2000 event, held two days before the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Prosecutors called Reggie to the stand to buttress their argument that Rosen deliberately caused false reports to be filed with federal officials, saying that in-kind donations for the event came to $400,000, though Rosen knew that the real costs exceeded $1.1 million.

In that way, they claim, Rosen sought to maximize the amount of “hard money” from the gala that could be used for direct campaign expenses as Clinton mounted her successful campaign to become a senator in New York.

While Reggie was not a primary organizer of the gala, he was listed on the host committee and said he flew to Los Angeles a week early to help with last-minute arrangements.
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Written by HillaryTruth · Filed Under Campaign Finance 

Hillary Clinton aide wasn’t told fundraiser cost, lawyer says

May 12, 2005

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s former national finance director never knew the total cost of a lavish 2000 Hollywood fundraising gala, his attorney said in opening statements at his federal trial over whether he lied about campaign contributions, but the prosecution’s first major witness disputed that claim.

Defense lawyer Paul Sandler said Thursday that the event’s mounting expenses – eventually totaling about $1.2 million – were hidden from David F. Rosen by its organizers.

But prosecution witness Jim Levin testified that Rosen was deeply aware of the ballooning budget, saying Rosen told him “that the cost of this event will never be the cost of this event” – meaning they would not report the excessive expenses to federal regulators.

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Written by HillaryTruth · Filed Under Campaign Finance 

Secret Rosen Tape May Confound Democratic Party

May 9, 2005

With the trial of a key finance official on Senator Clinton’s 2000 campaign set to open tomorrow, a secretly recorded audiotape at the core of the case could prove embarrassing to politicians, political operatives, and wealthy donors to the Democratic Party.

David Rosen, 40, faces three felony counts of causing the filing of false campaign finance reports in connection with a celebrity-studded fund-raiser and concert held in August 2000 at a radio executive’s estate in the Brentwood hills above Los Angeles.

Prosecutors have asserted that the true cost of the gala was more than $1 million but that Mr. Rosen reported costs of just $400,000 as part of a scheme to increase the funds Mrs. Clinton had to spend on her Senate bid.

Mr. Rosen, now a Chicago-based political consultant, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Written by HillaryTruth · Filed Under Scandals 

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