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Documenting the Political Partying Circuit
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ethics • POSTED - 09.02.10 BY Keenan Steiner

Who hosted the John Campbell fundraiser?

Yesterday, we reported that one of the fundraisers held by Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., during the 10-day period under scrutiny by the independent ethics board, was at the Capitol Hill townhouse owned by Mike Legg and Christopher Perkins.

The Campbell event was planned for Dec. 9 at 123 D St., SE, the townhouse and offices of Legg, Perkins, and Associates, LLC, a lobbying firm that focuses on homeland security and defense issues.

Reached for comment yesterday, Legg said he lends his house out to members on both sides of the aisle. “We don’t host, we just let people use it,” he said, adding that he would have to check his records to see who hosted the Campbell event.

After that initial call, Legg and his partner Perkins have not returned any of our several calls. When asked how they decide who holds fundraisers at their home, Legg said, “There’s really no rhyme or reason to it.”

Since June, the Office of Congressional Ethics is looking into whether any fundraiser held during a brief period in December 2009, where there were lobbyists for the financial industry present, had any influence on lawmakers’ vote on the financial reform bill. And earlier this week, the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended to the House Ethics Committee that it go forward with investigations of three of the eight Congressmen. Campbell is one of those three, along with Tom Price, R-Ga., and Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y.

It is unlikely though that Legg, Perkins and Associates, LLC hosted the event because all of the fundraisers in Party Time’s database (which does not capture all D.C. fundraisers) at that address are for congressmen or candidates with defense or homeland security connections, many of whom sit on congressional committees responsible for those fields.

Campbell, on the other hand, has a seat on the Financial Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.

The firm lobbies on defense issues for a few firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Perkins also lobbies on stem cell research for the company NeoStem.

Both Legg and Perkins served in the military for more than 20 years. Most recently, Perkins was the director of legislative affairs for the United States Special Operations Command, according to his website bio. Legg also served in USSOCOM’s legislative affairs office.

As we reported yesterday, the e-mail invitation to the event at Legg’s D Street townhouse was sent out on Nov. 17, 2009, from Michael Gula of the GOP fundraising firm, the Gula Graham Group, and asked donors to attend a “California Wine Tasting” headlined by Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va. Gula wrote:

“The wine tasting will be at 123 D St., SE right around the corner from the [Capitol Hill Club]. We will have multiple wines from California to try. Any chance you can do $500 of $1K to help Congressman Campbell?”

The e-mail also asks donors to a fundraiser earlier that day at the Capitol Hill Club.

The financial regulation bill was voted out of committee on Dec. 2 and passed by the House on Dec. 11. In its dismissal letters to the five congressmen the OCE let off the hook, the panel focuses on this time frame.

Here is Party Time’s original post on the ethics inquiry, written in June.

[Note: In the June post we wrote that the Campbell's Capitol Hill Club lunch occurred on Dec. 8. However, we corrected this later based on another e-mail invite submitted to Party Time.]

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PARTYFINDER™ Hints

Beneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party

Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist

Venue Name: where the party is

Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"

Other Lawmakers Mentioned: lawmakers mentioned on invitation who are used as a draw for the event

Sunlight's Party Time is a project to track parties for members of Congress or congressional candidates that happen all year round in Washington, D.C. and beyond. (read more)

We also post information we receive about parties where members of Congress are expected to participate—such as convention or inaugural parties.

Since we don't hear about all the parties, you can also tell us if you know where the party is and we don't.