Rep. Punished for Planned Playboy Fund-Raiser
Aug. 11 -- The California congresswoman who is planning to give a speech at a fund-raiser at the Playboy Mansion has been removed from her speaking role at next week’s Democratic National Committee Convention.
Saying he was “sorely disappointed” in Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew announced Thursday he had “no alternative but to take action.”
Under pressure from Al Gore’s presidential campaign, partyofficials are planning to meet Aug. 18 and could enact further penalties on Sanchez. That could include withdrawal of support for herre-election and removal from her position as Democratic NationalCommittee general vice-chairwoman.
A spokesman for the Gore campaign says the vice president is“in complete support of Chairman Andrew’s decision.”
The removal of Sanchez from the proposed convention schedule came just hours after she said she would proceed with Tuesday’s fund-raiser, despite warnings from Andrew and other Democratic Party leaders.
“It will be a success,” Sanchez said Thursday afternoon, reading a statement to reporters in Garden Grove, Calif. She said the directors of Hispanic Unity USA, the political action committee she runs, has decided to go ahead with the event as planned.
“I support that decision,” she added.
But this morning, Sanchez said on NBC’s Today show that she would consider moving the event if a different venue could be found.
“It’s never been about the Playboy Mansion,” she said. “It’s been about putting on a good event andraising money.”
Andrew, interviewed on CNN today, said of Sanchez, “if she changes the venue she would absolutely go back on the speakers list, and we would be proud to have her there.”
Gore, in an interview on Fox, said he supported Andrew’s actions. When asked about contributions his campaign has taken from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, as well as Hefner’s daughter, the vice president said they were not relevant to the fund-raiser controversy, calling the two matters “apples and oranges.”
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