I couldn’t care less what kind of venues my beloved congressman chooses for his fund-raising parties. After all, he’s a grown man. The question that popped into my head was, why is a Dallas congressman hosting major fund-raising events in Las Vegas? So I called his Washington office and asked for a list of those who attended. After much hemming and hawing, this is what I got in response:
“PETE PAC follows the letter and spirit of the law by filing expenses, contributors, and contributions to candidates each month with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Congressman Sessions is proud to have one of the most efficient Leadership PACs in Congress, giving out more than $1.6 million to Republican candidates since 2001.”
So I went here to try to get the attendees. No such luck, but suddenly the Las Vegas connnection started getting more interesting. For example, there’s self-described “professional poker player” Howard Lederer and his wife Susan with a combined donation of $10,000. Andrew Bloch, another “professional poker player,” gave $4,000. Doyle Brunson tossed some more chips on the table with another $4,000. Barry Shulman was in for $2,000, and Linda Johnson matched up to $500.
Now I’m sure all these Las Vegas residents are perfectly respectable citizens, and I for one am glad to see them engaged in the political process. But why did they choose a Dallas congressman as the vessel of their civic participation? Simple. Go to the the congressman’s statement on proposed UIGEA regulations issued on April 2, 2008. Then note that this year’s Vegas cash started flowing on April 7, 2008. Seems like Nevada has bought itself an extra congressman.
