Want a Piece of Scandal History? It's Yours -- For a Price

September 05, 2007 10:50 AM

Justin Rood Reports:

Wantapieceof_mn_2 Want an ashtray that may have once cradled a Cuban cigar smoked by disgraced former CIA honcho Dusty Foggo? What about a bar glass that could have been gripped by alleged Duke Cunningham briber Brent Wilkes?

Starting tomorrow, you can buy both of those items, just as easily as Wilkes is alleged to have once bought the now-imprisoned former California lawmaker -- and for a lot less money.

Thursday morning, the contents of the Watergate Hotel will go on public sale, as a first step in a top-to-bottom renovation of the historic establishment. But while the hotel's old furniture and bric-a-brac may disappear, its stories will be around for a long time.

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From the mid 1990s until just a few years ago, the hotel was reportedly home to regular poker parties thrown by Brent Wilkes, who is now facing multiple corruption charges, along with his childhood friend, former CIA executive director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo.

Wilkes' parties brought congressmen, CIA officials and hangers-on together with a mix of gambling, alcohol and cigars. Federal prosecutors have accused Wilkes and Foggo of conspiring to win agency business for Wilkes' company, in exchange for money and favors for Foggo.

Wilkes is also accused of bribing Cunningham with hundreds of thousands of dollars, gifts, travel and even prostitutes, to win federal contracts. Both men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Of course, the Watergate name became synonymous with scandal as a result of the infamous 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee offices ordered by the Nixon White House. But that actually happened at an adjoining building that is part of the Watergate complex.

Watergate scandals haven't always been about Republicans. The Watergate enjoyed a brief flash in the limelight in the late 1990s, when it was identified as the home of then-President Bill Clinton's intern amour, Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky did not live in the hotel, however, but in the residential complex that abuts it.

Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?

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