During her 2006 campaign for U.S. Congress, Kirsten Gillibrand ripped her opponent, then-Rep. John Sweeney, for holding a ski weekend fundraiser in Park City, Utah, jabbing him with a reminder that “there’s a lot of great skiing” in New York state.
But as a member of Congress, it’s Gillibrand who is setting travel records in pursuit of cash: holding a political fundraiser at a posh, five-star hotel in London, England.
On April 4, 2007, Gillibrand’s campaign sponsored a fundraiser at the Covent Garden Hotel in London’s trendy West End. Admission to the event was priced at “10 pounds, 5 pounds concession.”
It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to Congressional campaigns.
According to the event’s hosts, the United Kingdom Chapter of Democrats Abroad, there was a waiting list for those hoping to hand their Pounds Sterling over to meet the Congresswoman who pledged to make campaign finance reform and getting money out of politics a centerpiece of her platform.
In a fit of irony, Gillibrand, who promised to “lead by example,” called Sweeney hypocritical for hosting a fundraiser out of state at the same time he was seeking Congressional reforms.
"John Sweeney may talk reform,” her campaign said, “but his actions speak much louder than his words.” Sweeney’s trip was also criticized for sending “a terrible message and do(ing) nothing to encourage the all-important tourist industry (in New York).”
According to Gillibrand’s Sunlight Report schedule, she spent at least two days in London and attended two separate fundraisers. Aside from her London activities, she had no public schedule between April 1 and April 10 - a time when most House freshmen were meeting with constituents regarding a pending Iraq War funding fill.
This is the second time in recent weeks questions have risen over Gillibrand’s fundraising tactics. Majorityap.com reported exclusively that she and her fellow House freshmen recruited the services of a top appropriations’ lobbyist to head their fundraising efforts. That same lobbyist was removed from the leadership PACs of four U.S. Senators over questions he was using his fundraising expertise to influence members of Congress.
Later this week...
Where else does the money come from?
Absolutely disgusted
As a resident of New York's 20th Congressional District I am absoulutely disgusted by this news. In upstate New York we were subjected to millions upon millions of dollars worth of campaign ads from Gillibrand last election season bloviating about how she was going to change things in Washington. It seems that the only thing that has changed is that she has taken corruption international. While I am extremely angry at the Majority Accountablility Project for ruining my breakfast, I am grateful that there is someone who is actually doing some investigative work. Keep it up guys! Our Hometown paper is too busy fawning all over Gillibrand; making her into a folk hero, to ever break a story like this. Someone has to tell the truth.