Romney Offering Inauguration Access to Top Donors
BuzzFeed uncovers fundraising pitch that would give those who donate $50,000 almost immediate access to President Romney.
| Posted Monday, April 16, 2012, at 11:12 AM
Photograph by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images.
Now that Mitt Romney's campaign, combined with the Republican National Committee, can take donations of up to $75,800 from individuals, the campaign can start to offer high-rolling donors some exclusive perks.
But BuzzFeed found one offer that might seem a bit presumptuous: "preferred status" at the retreat following Romney's inauguration as president. Price tag: $50,000.
Those deep-pocketed donors who pony up for that package, however, won't leave empty-handed if Romney fails to win in November—they also get an invite to a pre-election retreat in California in June with the GOP candidate, and special access at the Republican National Convention in August.
BuzzFeed got their hands on an email from the Romney Victory joint fundraising committee that lays out the inauguration package. The newly formed committee, Politico explains, essentially exists to handle high-value bundled donations.
Here's a bit more context from the BuzzFeed story:
Access to official and quasi-official presidential events has been a running source of scandal since well before President Bill Clinton offered top donors the opportunity to spend the night in the Lincoln bedroom. Presidents typically balance access with propriety, but the New York Times reported Sunday that the Obama White House has also opened its doors to top donors.
You can read the full fundraising email over at BuzzFeed.
