GOP Committee Investigating $2K Trip to Topless Bondage-Themed Club

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Republicans

(Credit: AP)

Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET

The Republican party is hitting back against a report revealing that nearly $2,000 in party funds were spent to reimburse a trip to a topless nightclub.

Federal Election Commission filings show that the Republican National Committee in February spent about $1,946 at Voyeur West Hollywood, the Daily Caller first reported, describing the location as a "bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex."

The RNC told CBS News that the committee is investigating the expenditure -- but that the expense did not belong to RNC Chairman Michael Steele, as the article suggests.

"This was a reimbursement made to a non-committee staffer," a RNC spokesperson told CBS News. "The Chairman was never at the location in question, he had no knowledge of the expenditure, nor does he find the use of committee funds at such a location at all acceptable."

The committee has requested for the money to be returned and is requesting that the Daily Caller run a correction to clarify that Steele did not spend the money at the nightclub.

Citing two unnamed sources, the Daily Caller also reports that Steele had considered using party money to buy a private jet for his travels.

"I don't know what somebody might have discussed or might not have discussed," Steele spokesman Doug Heye responded, according to the Daily Caller.

Update: The reimbursement went to Erik Brown of Orange, Calif., a businessman who has donated about $10,000 to GOP candidates, the Washington Post reports. The RNC would not comment on Brown or his connection to the party committee, according to the Post.

The RNC has received some harsh criticism for Brown's reimbursement. The Democratic National Committee issued a release Monday entitled "RNC: Risque National Committee," while the conservative public policy group Concerned Women for America blasted the RNC for the incident.

"This kind of behavior is not appropriate for national leaders that our children should be able to look up to as role models, and that our daughters could be working for," CWA CEO Penny Nance said in a statement.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by Contender_Foot March 31, 2010 3:40 PM EDT

Are you kidding? Inappropriate use of $1900 out of a 300 million dollar operating budget is a big deal? Are you kidding me? The employee was fired and the money was returned. Do you need someones gall bladder as a sacrifice?

In the interest in fairness, I would like a list of every inappropriate expense ever submitted for reimbursement by any of CBS' employees. (How much money did Letterman misappropriate for paying off the staffers he was boning?) I would also like to see CBS do a line by line audit of the DNC budget and expense record to see if they can ferret out anything on them. Alas, that won't happen though.

This is a hit piece pure and simple that is designed to drive a wedge in the RNC. Question for the producers: Did this come directly from Rahm Emanuel or did he use a bag man? I guess you're just following the tradition of Dan Rather's Bush/National Guard story. How'd that work for ya?

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by galoux April 10, 2010 11:19 AM EDT: Let's see. Politics 101. Do wrong. Get caught. Blame the catcher. Yep.


by hillarynow March 30, 2010 10:08 PM EDT: It is pretty sad that it takes yet another embarrassment like this most recent corruption for people to remember all of the criminals in the Republican party. It wasn't long ago when the Bush administration produced more corrupt officials than any other in our Country's history. How soon people forget. Does anyone really think putting more of these scam artist Republicans in office will fix the USA? Obama and the Dems may be struggling to get things fixed, but at least they are doing everything they can, the Republicans will only destroy America further with their corruption. Vote Democrat in November if you know what's good for America.; Reply to this comment


by graybearded March 30, 2010 8:59 PM EDT: I find it just amusing that the RNC has been caught literally with its pants down, but what is all this hogwash about national leaders needing to be role models for children.

I would not dream of telling my kids to aspire to be like politicians. They are for the most part power-hungry by nature, and they have a job that is a little nasty, a little ruthless at times, and it is our job to point them in the right direction so that they are representing our interests. Being a role model for children should never be part of the job description.; Reply to this comment


by image_by_m March 30, 2010 1:14 PM EDT: "Fiscal discipline" and "Family values"

Hypocrites and Liars is more like it.

This is the result of being holier than thou.

You get called on and caught out there.; Reply to this comment


by SueZeeeQue March 30, 2010 9:22 AM EDT: You donate to the RNC, they use your money to pay for strippers and prostitutes.

That's how family values works.

See?; Reply to this comment


by christoph415 March 30, 2010 9:01 AM EDT: Honestly this does not surprise me. When you have a person (or a group) who so strongly condemns others for a "sinful" lifestyle, they usually are doing the same "perverted" things that they look down on others for doing. Prime example are the GOP'ers who have been forced out of the closet for being gay while during their entire career they have been playing the ultra straight role and voting against everything to advance gay rights in this country. Charlie Crist - I think you will be next to be pushed out of the closet.; Reply to this comment


by SueZeeeQue March 30, 2010 8:03 AM EDT: Well if this doesn't prove they're the family values party I don't know what does.

lol!; Reply to this comment


by strangeworld March 30, 2010 7:45 AM EDT: This is great stuff...Some work-a-day schmuck donates money he can't afford to give so that the RNC can take a bunch of little rich kids to the local strip joint to see some lesbians writhe around on stage.; Reply to this comment


by esq777 March 30, 2010 7:06 AM EDT: The party of "fiscal discipline" and "family values" in action. I bet the Joe 6 Packs who donated their hard-earned money are just thrilled to learn about the grass roots activities they have been supporting. Actually the big news here is that there apparently is at least one Republican with an interest in heterosexual adult sex.; Reply to this comment


by hillarynow March 30, 2010 3:33 AM EDT: Is anyone really surprised by this? Republicans don't care about the American people, all they ever cared about was swindling more and more money from the American people so they can do things like this with it. Anyone who has ever been around wealthy Republicans know they are all criminals just looking for ways to continue their wealthy, comfortable lifestyles.; Reply to this comment