The Wall Street Journal‘s Washington Wire blog reports:
While [the] White House has distanced itself from [Jack] Abramoff, a March 2003 invitation lists press secretary Tony Snow as âMaster of Ceremoniesâ at [a] fund-raiser for the lobbyistâs Capital Athletic Foundation. Snow has âno recollectionâ of the event but did charity appearances while at Fox News. âI donât think Iâve even metâ Abramoff, Snow says.
Snow can’t recall the event because it never took place. The tony affair — an elaborate “Spy Game Gala” to have been held at the International Spy Museum — was cancelled because of the Iraq invasion.
But oh, what the night would have been — a sham fundraiser to beat all sham fundraisers: Fox’s Brit Hume was coming, and so was Hardballer Chris Matthews. Then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was planning on attending, as well as Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).
It was even organized by a sham fundraiser: Julie Doolittle. That’s right, Abramoff paid the so-called “fundraising consultant” wife of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) to put the whole thing together. (John gives Julie a cut of his campaign donations as “payment” for having “raised” them.)
It would have been a night to remember. Or, come to think of it, a night most would try hard to forget.
