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18 Big GOP Donors Dine With the Queen
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ShareMay 08, 2007 11:52 AM
An Arizona car dealer, an interior designer and a former Enron executive were among the 18 major Republican donors invited to the dine with the Queen of England, along with celebrities, members of Congress and Bush administration officials, at last night's White House white-tie state dinner.
"These are not your rank-and-file donors," says Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the campaign finance watchdog group the Center for Responsive Politics. "In a sense, this is the GOP royalty."
Republicans were highly critical of President Bill Clinton when he rewarded big contributors with invitations to state dinners.
The 18 major donors on last night's guest list each raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for Bush and the Republican party over the past decade, according to an ABC News analysis of campaign contribution data available at Opensecrets.org.
Among the guests to attend the white-tie dinner was Jim Click, a Tucson, Ariz., car dealership owner, who has contributed more than $900,000 for Republicans since 1994, and was designated a Bush "Ranger" for raising more than $200,000 for Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns.
Click is the cousin and business partner of Robert Tuttle, also a major contributor, who is now the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. Tuttle raised at least $100,000 for Bush's re-election campaign, making him a Bush "Pioneer."
Tuttle's predecessor as ambassador to Great Britain, William S. Farish, was also guest at the dinner. Farish and his family have contributed more than $220,000 to the Republican party and made a $100,000 donation to Bush's 2001 inaugural committee. Months later, Bush appointed Farish ambassador.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
Many of the major donors on the guest list came from the Texas oil and energy industries, including former Enron executive Richard Kinder. Kinder left Enron in 1996 after buying out the company's pipeline operations to start his own business. Kinder has contributed nearly $1 million to Bush and the GOP since the early 1990s, including $350,000 in donations to Bush's inaugural funds.
Also receiving coveted invitations were Texas oilmen T. Boone Pickens and Ray L. Hunt. Pickens and Hunt have each contributed more than $700,000 to the Republican party going back to the first Bush presidency.
"These guys have been around for a long time," says Krumholz. "They've been fueling Goerge W. Bush's political career since he was governor, and they were funding his father's campaign before him."
May 8, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (45)
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Wow I would of love to Dine with Queen Elizabeth. How Awesome!!!!
Posted by: Lori Sinn | May 8, 2007 12:24:30 PM
Feh. I'd rather dine with her chef.
Posted by: wwz | May 8, 2007 12:38:26 PM
i would like to dine but how can queen dine with poor.
Posted by: selva | May 8, 2007 1:17:11 PM
And I guess ABC and Robin Roberts never contributed to the Republican party? And NO Democrats were there or invited. Great news story.
Posted by: David | May 8, 2007 1:17:52 PM
Dinner with the queen is one thing. But don't expect these hypocrites to have dinner with the King.
Posted by: Jacob | May 8, 2007 1:22:02 PM
How hypocritical? How could the zealots out to discredit Bill Clinton years ago, spin this one now? Washinghton is all about pay offs. Both parties do it.
Posted by: bryan | May 8, 2007 1:38:58 PM
I believe that Robin Roberts looked exquisite and did an excellent job of representing GMA and ABC News! Robin and Diane give all of us women an excellent vision of what is really out there for US! Congratulations Robin! Diane, you ROCK! I am from Louisville, Ky and you give me inspiration!
Paula/Louisville, Ky.
Posted by: Paula | May 8, 2007 1:43:55 PM
Hail to the Queen of England...She was absolutely beautiful and her hats were awesome...What a lady! Robin, you did a very good job of reporting and you were also a knockout little fox yourself! Too bad only those with the big bucks can attend such events. Imagine how a Walmart employee of 20 years would feel to be invited to such an event! Money and the lack of it are what seems to be the key to political choices! Seems so sad!
Posted by: Rhonda | May 8, 2007 2:20:45 PM
There have been so many examples of corruption and malfeasance in the Bush administration that this barely earns a shrug. See the Condi Rice connection with Chevron today, for example.
Posted by: Robert | May 8, 2007 2:22:36 PM
I thought Laura's dress was BEAUTIFUL.
Posted by: leon | May 8, 2007 2:29:44 PM
Selva or whoever
Speak for yourself!!! I have the money it's call IRA's, Stocks/Bonds but I'm a demo.
Posted by: Lori | May 8, 2007 2:36:05 PM
Isn't it unfortunate that these things have to be based on money. Wouldn't it have been nice if attendees had included oh, say, artists, musicians, scientists, and representitives of America's great achievements in medicine, and literature. The queen could have met the best and brightest of America, not just the wealthy ruling class...but then again, isn't that what the monarchy represents??
Posted by: AbbieX | May 8, 2007 3:00:27 PM
There were Democrats invited and a few attended, like Speaker Pelosi. Small minded Harry Reid acted like a spoiled brat rather than accept the White House invitation. Sounds petty and partisan.
The ABC coverage was respectful of the Queen's vist and gave a fair report. Too many remarks in here from the naysayers, too much venom flying out of their fingers.
I guess they will get the payback from the Republicans if and when a Democrat makes it back to the White House.
Same old game playing, and the Democrats offer zero end to it.
Posted by: Doris Carson | May 8, 2007 3:02:47 PM
Who attended the JFK dinners? I recall it was the cultural elite, not donors. It's been downhill since then.
Posted by: Lev Raphael | May 8, 2007 3:21:17 PM
I heard Payton Manning was there. Why not Eli? Is a QB from the NY too liberal to dine with a Queen? And her majesty?
Posted by: wallymoccassins | May 8, 2007 3:23:17 PM
It would be a great shame if no Democrats were invited. Why do I get the idea none were and that Bush didn't have the grace to extend an invitation to them? Did God tell him who to invite?
Just asking.
Posted by: David Elliott | May 8, 2007 3:23:52 PM
No culture, no class, just oilmen, car salesmen, corporate bagmen, athletes, and some politicians. Yeah, George, that'll impress the Queen all right. I'm surprised he didn't serve barbeque.
Posted by: windrider | May 8, 2007 3:57:44 PM
The Bush Regime represent ZERO class and does not have a clue what culture (ART MUSIC ETC)represents - money has never equaled culture or class especially in Texas - Besides the cultural elite are all liberals -
Posted by: peter | May 8, 2007 4:05:33 PM
I'm from Tucson and recently bought a car from Jim Click. My husband and I discussed just how much it cost Jim (a good ol' boy in the GWB tradition who does his own TV commercials) to get such a privaledged invitation. My husband guessed right, about $1M. So I found this "silly story" newsworthy. Seems you can't buy a car in this town (between Click and/or Tuttle) without supporting this adiminstration.
Posted by: Sonora | May 8, 2007 4:12:17 PM
Even though I may not agree with Kinder's politics or the field of work he is in, Kinder is a legtimate businessman, who did a good job at Enron when he was COO until 1996. All the antics that happened at Enron, happened after Kinder left and Jeff Skilling became COO in 1997. Performance Review Boards, mark to market accounting for the entiire company became de facto, and cause much of the problems for Enron's demise. Kinder was more of a standard Oil and Gas executive, who saw that his business model was much more feasible than Enron's criminal hijinks of Skilling, Lay and Fastow.
This post isn't suppose to be a clean bill of health for Rich Kinder, but he has made his mark as CEO of Kinder Morgan rather than Ken Lay's right hand man at Enron. (Pretty much all the books on L'Affaire Enron paint a hardnose but above board businessman and lawyer that Kinder was at Enron)
Posted by: ted | May 8, 2007 4:16:19 PM
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