No room for us at “widely attended” Qwest party
We’re just back from a party thrown by Qwest CEO Ed Mueller at the Denver Art Museum’s Palletes restaurant. Designed to be a “widely attended event” under the new ethics law, according to the invitation, apparently it wasn’t so widely attended that they were prepared to allow me in. (To meet the “widely attended” loophole, the event must have at least 25 attendees who are not members of Congress, and there must be some official business for the lawmaker attending, among other conditions.)
Johanna Hoff, a spokesperson for Qwest, politely explained to us that the event was “private,” that she really didn’t have any details about what they were serving or who was on the guest list. I mentioned that since the invitation specifically said the event was designed to be “widely attended,” it seemed like some members of Congress would be attending, but again, she pleaded ignorance.
She confirmed that yes, Qwest is supporting both the Democratic and the Republican conventions, because the company considers both Democrats and Republicans alike to be its “customers.”
We got some great footage on video , which will be available via our twitter account-www.twitter.com/SFPartytime as soon as Qik.com comes back up.
Tweet 5 CommentsPARTYFINDER™ 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.
