The presence of five chiefs of staff to House Democratic leaders is a main attraction for an “after party” fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tomorrow night, according to an invitation obtained by Party Time.

Headlining the event are the chiefs of staff to Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., Jim Himes, D-Conn., Richard Neal, D-Mass., John Carney, D-Del., and Steve Israel, D-N.Y., all leaders of the DCCC.

The participation of top aides in fundraisers has raised questions about the boundary between members’ campaigns and official staff, in light of the House Committee on Ethics decision in January to clear Crowley and two other lawmakers of any ethical violation around financial reform legislation. Crowley’s chief of staff, Kate Winkler — who is listed as a host tomorrow — was featured repeatedly in the report, sometimes receiving emails from lobbyists responding to fundraiser invitations.

Neither Winkler nor three of the other chiefs of staff — Jason Cole, Elizabeth Hart and Jack Pratt — were immediately available for comment. Ann Jablon, the top aide to Neal, wrote in an email that she would not attend because she will be busy taking care of her four children.

One lobbyist, who did not want his name published, said he was not bothered that the chiefs of staff are the main draw to the event.

“You don’t see them often on flyers, but they are such a central presence in fundraising phone calls and emails that it does not surprise or even bother me much. In many cases the [chief of staff] is at least as important a connect as the member herself or himself,” he wrote in an email.

He also wrote that the event, which asks donors for a mere $100 and features “The Peach Pit DJ Dance Party” at a Capitol Hill bar, is attempting to “inculcate [young Democrats] into the giving routine with the $100 price tag.”

“With staff instead of Member names on the invitation, it sounds more like a party that a rich kid would throw at home when his parents are in the Bahamas,” he wrote.

The after party follows a high roller “Spring PAC Reception” at Union Station, where, for $15,000, PACs can send four representatives to the event. Headlining the invitation are Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., and four of the top aides’ bosses, except for Israel. The after party RSVP form on the DCCC website asks donors to “please join the DCCC and House Democratic Staff for an after party event at Lounge 201.”

A press spokesman for the DCCC did not respond to a phone message.

In the January Ethics Committee report, the lawmakers were cleared in part because “none of the Members’ legislative staff had any role in planning any aspect for such events, other than the schedulers or chiefs of staff coordinating administrative scheduling issues regarding the Members’ availability.” [See the full report marked with notes here.]

The event comes at a particularly busy time of year for congressional fundraising. Members have planned at least 156 events this week, and no less than 57 today, according to Party Time’s files, which do not grab all of Washington’s invitations.

“I sense a volume of voice mails and emails more typical of last September than I would expect to see in spring of an odd-numbered year,” the lobbyist wrote.

He cited two immediate reasons for the uptick. First, campaigns are pressuring donors to send in checks before the end of the month, which marks the end of the first quarter. In addition, Congress is on recess all of next week, which means this week includes some of the final days for inside-the-beltway events. He expects a high volume of events again on the final three days of the month.

He also cited the “uncertainty-driven nervousness” associated with states’ redrawing congressional districts this year. Many states will lose at least one House seat in the next Congress.

“Everybody wants to get as much in the bank before they potentially get themselves redrawn into a district that will give them political fits, or that may pit one incumbent against another,” he wrote.

Looking to score some pots of gold for their campaigns, this week several lawmakers will be attending St. Patrick’s Day-themed fundraisers in their honor. The celebration kicks off early tomorrow, when Kevin Brady, R-Texas, will be honored at a “Celebration of the Irish“ at a townhouse near the Capitol. Contributors looking to get the coveted “Pot of gold” moniker will have to shell out $2,500, while contributing $1,000 will earn the title “Shamrock.” If you are only a wee contributor under the age of 30, you will be asked to donate only $250, but you will be stuck with the title of “Leprechaun.”

Other Mar. 15 St. Paddy’s Day celebrations include a classic “St. Patrick’s Day Reception“ at the Democratic National Headquarters benefiting Tim Holden, D-Pa. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., will be honored at his annual, and only slightly less traditional, “Sushi and Shamrocks Fest“  at the Eris Group Townhouse. The following day will see Irish-themed events benefiting Dale Kildee, D-Mich., at the National Democratic Club townhouse (“Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Celebration”) and Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., at the Capitol Hill Club (“Tribute to the Irish”).

Plenty of St. Patrick’s Day events are planned for the 17th itself. An “Irish Breakfast Reception” in honor of Bill Keating, D-Mass., is planned for the morning at the Strategic Healthcare’s townhouse. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., will be the beneficiary of a “St. Patrick’s Day Lunch” at the Associated General Contractors  townhouse. In the evening, the Democratic Club will see a collection of “Pots of Gold,” “Lucky Charms,” “Leprechauns” and “Shamrocks,” as attendees to Joe Donnelly’s, D-Ind.,”St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” are asked to contribute $5,000, $2,500, $1,000 and $500, respectively. Also, an annual “St. Paddy’s Day Reception” will be held for Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., over at the Erickson & Co. townhouse. New York’s Bill Owens, D-N.Y., will be a beneficiary of a luncheon at the ever so appropriate Dubliner (“St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon”), and later on in the evening the party will move upstairs to the Phoenix Park Hotel for a St. Patrick’s Day reception in honor of California’s Jerry McNerney, D-Calif. (“St. Patrick’s Day Celebration”).  Also of note, Elliot Engel, D-N.Y., will be honoring not just one, but two ethnicities, at the 5th annual “Kiss Me I’m Yiddish” luncheon at the National Democratic townhouse.

Not to be outdone by any of these one to two hour events, however,  Mike Michaud, D-Maine, plans to celebrate the patron saint of the Emerald Isle with a two day “St. Patrick’s Day Maine Winter Sports Getaway Weekend.” Activities will include a kick off dinner on Friday night, and on Saturday guests will choose to enjoy either skiing or snowmobiling followed by a Happy Hour Maine Beer Tasting.

Over on Sunlight’s reporting site is a story about the blurred separation between official staffers and the campaign staff of Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., before a crucial House vote on a bill to overhaul the financial regulatory system.

Using Document Cloud while doing research for the story, we made over 100 notes to the House Committee on Ethics report, which cleared Crowley and two other lawmakers of granting special access to Wall Street interests. In the notes, we have provided background information and links on the lobbyists who are featured on rarely-seen fundraiser attendance lists and who exchanged emails with the three lawmakers’ staffers leading up to the events.

We have also noted some of the Ethics Committee’s main arguments and some interesting details about Washington’s fundraiser culture in the annotation:

*In some cases, prior to going to a fundraiser, attendees (or their PACs) have already committed contributing a certain amount. For instance, KPMG committed $2,500 for a John Campbell, R-Calif., event on Oct. 21, 2009, but the campaign did not disclose receiving the check to the Federal Election Commission until about a month later, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, making it much harder to link a campaign donation to an official action, as the report found.

*The three members’ chiefs of staff and top legislative aides attended many of their fundraisers. Rep. Campbell’s legislative aide for financial services said he goes to about three quarters of his boss’s fundraisers.

The report also includes some interesting tidbits and partisan jabs:

*One lobbyist modestly questioned how appropriate Campbell’s financial services fundraiser was, considering it was the night before a crucial markup on the overhaul bill.

*Asked why his boss held a fundraiser on the same day as the vote, Rep. Tom Price’s, R-Ga., chief of staff compared the Democrats to the The Boy Who Cried Wolf because they “had a habit of yanking votes.” He said he had no way of knowing the vote would actually happen when they said it would.

Party Time even plays a role in the investigation:

*The lawyers for both Price and Campbell used Party Time’s data in their client’s defense. Campbell’s lawyer noted that members of the Financial Services Committee hold similar fundraisers all the time. Committee members put on 109 of them between Oct. 21 and Dec. 11, 2009, he wrote.

Three lawmakers did not give special access to Wall Street interests at fundraisers around the time of a key House Wall Street regulatory reform vote, the House Committee on Ethics has found, in dismissing a probe yesterday. Rather, the events’ coinciding with crucial votes was by chance, according to the findings.

By concluding that the lawmakers did not even act in a way which appeared improper, the Ethics Committee, an official House body made up of members of Congress, disagreed with the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. That body argued last summer that there was “substantial reason to believe” that each member “solicited or accepted contributions in a manner which gave the appearance that special treatment or access was being provided to donors.”

You can view the over 600-page report here. In the next couple of days, we will be annotating it using Document Cloud.

The report found that the the congressmen’s fundraising consultants arranged the events without coordinating with the members’ official staff. Each member “typically” did not know about the fundraisers until right around the event’s occurrence. Members’ votes were based on “significant legislative concerns,” not requests from donors. And the attendees did not have substantive discussions with members at the fundraisers, according to the report.

The three lawmakers are Reps. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., Tom Price, R-Ga., and John Campbell, R-Calif. Last summer, the OCE dismissed probes into five other lawmakers’ fundraising with Wall Street interests and recommended that the Ethics Committee investigate the trio. Three Crowley and Campbell events were scrutinized while one of Price’s was considered.

The report includes a summary of the three lawmakers’ legislative positions on the bill and amendments over time and an account of what actually happened at the fundraisers. It also includes OCE investigation documents such as the events’ attendees, interviews with the lawmakers and their staff and email exchanges between, for instance, Rep. Crowley’s staff and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

At a Dec. 10, 2009, “Financial Services Luncheon” with Rep. Price, ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., was a special guest and made brief, general comments to the crowd.  Price’s chief of staff attended but did not discuss the Wall Street regulatory overhaul bill (H.R. 4173), the report said. Over 2,500 people were invited, according to Price’s fundraising consultant, and the event was initially planned for October but was postponed, the report found.

As we read and annotate the report of next couple of days, there will be more details to come. To start, here are two of the Campbell fundraisers and one of Crowley’s:

http://politicalpartytime.org/party/23243/

http://politicalpartytime.org/party/17905/

http://politicalpartytime.org/party/18512/

As part of its ongoing investigation into whether eight lawmakers broke ethics rules by taking large campaign donations from the financial sector before a landmark financial regulation vote, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) has requested documents from lobbyists who hosted fundraisers at that time,  according to a report in today’s New York Times.

The Party Time database contains invitations for fundraisers for seven out of eight of those lawmakers, all scheduled during the two days preceding the December 11 vote. The Times story today focuses particularly on two December 10 parties: Rep. Joseph Crowley’s, D-N.Y.,  fundraiser at the townhouse owned by financial industry lobbyist Julie Domenick and Rep. Tom Price’s, R-Ga., Capitol Hill Club lunch, where Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., ranking Republican on the Financial Services Committee, was billed as a guest.

These eight lawmakers are getting the attention of the OCE, but as the Times story notes–and the Party Time database shows–there were plenty of other fundraisers occurring near the time of the key vote. Take Domenick’s home as an example.

In all, Party Time has two dozen fundraiser invitations for events at the Domenick townhouse from Feb. 2009 through April 2010, including several parties right before the Dec. 11 vote. On Dec. 2, the townhouse was scheduled to be the site of a fundraiser for Rep. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y., with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, listed as a guest. On Dec. 9, Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Md., planned a fundraiser. Kratovil is a member of the Agriculture Committee, also involved in the Wall St. reform.

According to Party Time records, Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Paul Hodes, D-N.H., (who is running for Senate), Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Ron Klein, D-Fla, all Financial Services Committee members, invited donors to parties at Domenick’s home in early 2010.  Rep. John Boccieri, D-Ohio, planned a party there for February, where Crowley was listed as a guest.

We don’t know if Domenick, who lobbies for the Investment Co Institute and Federated Investors Inc., attended these events or just allowed her home to be used. Domenick recently sold her house, according to this May report.

Party Time has often tracked fundraisers occurring while key legislation is being debated in Congress.  Last month we blogged about (and made a spreadsheet) all of the invitations to fundraisers we had on file for the 43 lawmakers serving on the conference committee for the financial reform bill. We also pointed to invitations for fundraisers scheduled for some Democratic members during the final days of the conference.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) leaders continue to busy themselves fundraising for party candidates in tight races, with events planned in the next few weeks for Reps. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) and John Salazar (D-Colo.).

Recruitment Chair Rep. Steve Israel (D, NY-2),  Chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D, MD-8) , and vice chairs Rep. Joseph Crowley (D, NY-7) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D, FL-20) are headlining this  reception, on July 27, for Bishop. The fourth-term Congressman is considered vulnerable in Republican circles and will face the winner of a hotly contested GOP primary come November.

On July 28, Van Hollen and Israel are joining Vice Chair Rep. Xavier Becerra (D, CA-31) for a breakfast benefiting Salazar at the Twenty-First Century townhouse. (The townhouse is owned by former GOP Texas Congressman  Jack Fields, Twenty First Century lobbying group CEO. His bio says he “has built and maintained a wide network of personal friendships and  professional relationships among government officials of both parties.” ) Salazar is in a district that has historically voted Republican and also will be facing the winner of a GOP face off .

The DCCC blog recently reported the committee had “blow[n] past our $1.5 million June 30th deadline goal.”  In the case of the events above, checks are to be made out to the candidate but also counted as “conduit” contributions over at the DCCC (which is required to report them as both receipts and disbursements to the candidate in question), enabling the party committee to claim credit for the amounts raised. We last wrote about DCCC fundraising here .


The Party Time database shows that seven of the eight lawmakers currently being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics for holding fundraisers or receiving major donations just two days before the House vote on the Wall Street reform bill, have invites for fundraisers that took place within the time frame of the Ethics probe.

The probe is focused on whether the timing of accepting the campaign checks 48 hours before the vote on December 11, 2009 created an unacceptable appearance of a conflict, the Washington Post reported today. The Ethics Office has sent letters to lobbyists requesting information about these donations, the Post also found.

According to our database of fundraising invitations, which is by no means complete, the following lawmakers sent invitations to the fundraisers listed below which were set to take place on December 9, 2009 or December 10, 2009:

•    Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., planned a December 10, 2009 “Financial Services Luncheon” featuring Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., at the Capitol Hill Club. Guests and political action committees could attend by donating anywhere from $500-$2,500.

•    Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., planned a December 9, 2009 reception at Democratic National Headquarters titled “Bojangles’ Fried Chicken, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and Mel Watt, of course!” Individuals were asked to contribute $500 and political action committees $1,000.

•    Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., planned a December 9, 2009 “California Wine Tasting” that cost participants anywhere from $500-$1,000. The distribution for the wine tasting event was paid for by the Gula Graham Group a fundraising and political consulting firm. Campbell also planned a December 8, 2009 lunch at the Capitol Hill club where guests could pay anywhere from $500-$2,000. The event also featured special guest Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

•    Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., planned a “Last Call” breakfast on December 9, 2009 at the Capitol Hill Club. The invitation prominently displayed his position as a ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, and a member of the House Financial Services Committee and House Science and Technology Committee. The cost to attend was $500 per person and $1,000 per political action committee.

•    Rep. Chris Lee, R-N.Y., planned a “Holiday Reception” on December 9, 2009 for “max out donors only” who could attend for $1,000 per political action committee or co-sponsor the event for $2,500 per political action committee.

•    Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., planned two fundraisers in this time frame: A December 10, 2009 “Holiday Cocktail Reception” featuring special guest Sen. Mark Warner that cost $500-$2,500 to attend.

•    Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., planned a December 10, 2009 breakfast at the offices of Davis and Harman LLP where guests could pay anywhere from $500-$2,000 to attend. The firm has several financial firms as clients.

•    There are no invitations on file for the two-day time period of the probe for Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, who is also being investigated. However there are plenty of other invites for Hensarling in our database. According to the Post, Ethics investigators want to know about the 10-day period before the vote when he raised at least $30,000 in case from financial firms and their advocates.

The 2008 House Ethics Manual states:

“The Standards Committee has long advised Members and staff that they should always exercise caution to avoid even the appearance that solicitations of campaign contributions are connected in any way with an action taken or to be taken in their official capacity.”

You might have read in yesterday’s Politico that the nine democrats have raised $50 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to internal fundraising numbers obtained by the newspaper. Raising that amount of cash would be daunting to anyone, but for Washington insiders, it’s part of their daily grind.

The Party Time database also reveals that beyond the cash these lawmakers raise for the DCCC, they are also fixtures and draws at fundraisers for other lawmakers. This fact would not show up on DCCC reports.

* Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. – Pelosi has raised $23.5 million for the DCCC, according to Politico. Party Time invites show that she’s served as a draw for at least eight fundraisers this year for other lawmakers and at least two for the DCCC — the latest DCCC event was a March 19th breakfast at Democratic National Headquarters, along with several other Democratic lawmakers. The cost to attend ranged from $5,000-$20,000.

* Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. – The second highest fundraiser according to Politico, Van Hollen is also the chair of the DCCC and has raised $7.1 million for the committee. According to Party Time invites, Van Hollen has been present for at least for nine fundraisers for other lawmakers and one for the DCCC.

* Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y. – Crowley raised an $6.5 million for the DCCC, according to Politico. He’s also incredibly active in fundraising for his colleagues. According to Party Time invites, he’s attended at least 10 fundraisers for colleagues and at least 15 for either the DCCC or the New Democrat Coalition PAC. His most recent headliner was for the Coalition’s fifth annual retreat at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina.

* Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. – According to Politico, Wasserman Shultz has raised $3.5 million for the DCCC. She’s also been busy raising money for fellow lawmakers, Party Time invites list her at at least 7 fundraisers this year for her colleagues, and she’s attended at least six for the DCCC or her own leadership political action committee, the Democrats Win Seats PAC.

* Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. – Clyburn has raised $3 million for the DCCC, according to Politico and he’s attended at least 13 fundraisers for colleagues and at least two for the DCCC and held at least two for his own Bridge PAC. Later this week he will host a fundraiser for Baron Hill, his Democratic colleague in Indiana, where guests can attend after paying $1,000-$5,000.

* Rep. Steny Hoyer, D- Md. – Hoyer has added $2.3 million to DCCC coffers, according to Politico. He’s also attended at least 17 fundraisers for his colleagues this year, and at least three for the DCCC and Wasserman Schultz’s Democrats Win Seats PAC.

* Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y. – Israel has collected $1.5 million for the DCCC, according to Politico, it’s possible he raised part of that while attending a January 13th DCCC Business Council Kickoff Reception where guests paid anywhere from $5,000-$15,000.

* Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. – Frank has raised $1.5 million for the DCCC, according to Politico. He’s also helped fundraise for at least 12 of his colleagues and at least two times for the DCCC, according to Party Time invites. His latest effort was a June 7th lunch fundraiser for Democratic colleague Rep. Ron Klein of Florida.  Guests could attend for anywhere from $500-$2,500.

* Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. – Barney Frank’s Massachusetts colleague has raised $1.1 million for the DCCC, according to Politico. It’s possible that part of that total was raised that money while serving as the special guest of the DCCC Business Council Breakfast on March 4th. The invitation lists Markey as the headliner and asks for donations ranging from $5,000-$15,000 for the DCCC.

And let’s not forget how the DCCC raises money for itself, such as the Committee’s upcoming June 23rd, “DCCC Summer Solstice Reception” at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers offices in Capital Hill. The event says “friends” can attend for $5,000, while “hosts” can buy 4 tickets for $15,000.

Political fundraisers happening this weekend:

* Rep. Joseph Crowley of New York’s 7th Congressional District, hosts his “I Love NY Weekend” at the chic Standard Hotel, which sits above New York City’s High Line, an old elevated rail-turned park in the Meatpacking District. The weekend will cost PACs $5,000 while individual donors can come along for $2,400.

* At DNC Headquarters on Sunday, a throng of Democrats and lobbyists are scheduled to join Kentucky’s 3rd District Congressman John Yarmuth for his 4th Annual Bourbon & Barbecue. According to the invitation, attendees can sample Kentucky bourbons and southern-style barbecue from Yarmuth family-owned Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q.

Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., will be on hand, along with Lyndon Boozer, a lobbyist with AT&T who has been billed as a host on at least five invitations to Democratic fundraisers this year. PAC tickets range from $1,000 to $5,000 while individuals can play host for $2,400.

Yarmuth is the favorite to win in November, though his seat is in play, according to the Cook Political Report. He faces Republican anti-establishment pick and National Air Guard veteran Todd Lally.

* For $2,500, PACs can send a golfer to tee off at The Country Club at Woodmore in Mitchellville, MD, to benefit The Committee for the Preservation of Capitalism, Charles Boustany’s Leadership PAC. Boustany, R-La., a former surgeon and big supporter of market-based reforms to the health care system, has received over $1 million from health professionals over his career. This year, about a third of donations to Boustany’s PAC have come from the health care industry.

At two Bruce Springsteen concerts in DC last year there were more than a dozen fundraisers held for members of Congress, according to a Washington Post article today.

Reporters at the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica and the Post wrote about these fundraisers using Party Time data and combined it with campaign finance and lobbying reports, identifying some of the organizations involved with these fundraisers.

Here’s a complete list of all the fundraiser fliers for the concerts Party Time collected last year:

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., May 2009.

Democratic Congressional Committee/Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., May 2009.

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., May 2009.

Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Nov 2009.

Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wisc., May 2009.

Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., May 2009.

Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., May 2009.

Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., Nov 2009.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Nov 2009.

Rep. John Carter, R-Tex., Nov 2009.

Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., Nov 2009.

Rep. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa., Nov 2009.

Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., Nov 2009.

Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind., May 2009.

Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., May 2009.

Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., May 2009.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., May 2009.

Rep. Tom Harkin D-Iowa., May 2009.

Elham contributed to this report.