I'm not real sure how this applies to the subject at hand, but I thought this was an interesting bit of information:
drudgereport.com
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUNDAY MAY 07 2000 09:21:10 ET XXXXX
ELIAN TAKEN TO TOP DEMOCRATIC FUNDRAISER'S HOUSE; 'NO MONEY CHANGED HANDS'
As Attorney General Janet Reno received an Ellis Island medal last night,
little Elian Gonzalez was taken under police escort to have dinner at the
home of major Democratic party fundraisers.
Elian, and his father, were entertained for more than four hours Saturday
night at the Georgetown home of Smith and Elizabeth Bagley, who are top
Democratic donors. The Gonzalez's reportedly dined on smoked salmon,
shrimp and fruit in the Bagleys' atrium. The home features grand marble
pillars, tile floors, an exercise room and indoor pool.
For their party patronage, The Bagleys, who have been major contributors
to President Clinton defense fund, have been rewarded with frequent guest
invites at official White House dinners, including the White House
Millennium Dinner last New Year's Eve and a state dinner for the king of
Spain a few months ago.
Bagley is an heir to North Carolina's Reynolds tobacco fortune.
Gregory Craig, attorney for Elian's father, approved the Gonzalez visit to
the Bagley residence. But a source close to the famed attorney bristled at
the notion that the boy was being used as a fundraising tool.
"Of course it was not a fundraising event," said a source close to Craig.
"Not one dollar changed hands. It was an opportunity for Mr. Gonzalez to
meet some of the city's most prominent citizens. It was a party for the
little boy... balloons and cake."
The Bagleys hosted Bill and Hillary Clinton last summer at their Nantucket
home, an event that raised more than $200,000 for the Democratic Party.
In 1997 the duo hosted the president in their Georgetown spread and raised
more than $250,000 for the DNC.
Just last month, mega-donor Elizabeth Bagley was toasted by Terry
McAuliffe, President Clinton's money maestro, for her involvement in an
upcoming fundraising blowout, an all-star concert party officials hope
will go down as the biggest political fundraiser ever.
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Filed by Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
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