Politics Section Special Reports

From The Post Reno 'Mad' About Delay in Obtaining Videotapes (Oct. 10) On Tape, Reagan Appeals to Donors At White House (Oct. 10) Campaign Finance Bill Blocked Again (Oct. 10) DNC Ex-Aide Denies Teamster Link (Oct. 10) 'False Statements' Attributed To Straw Donor by Waxman (Oct. 10) 'Bob of the CIA' Told a Story, Then Became One (Oct. 10) Daschle's Mount Rushmore Trip Shows Fund-Raising's New Face By Ruth Marcus Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 10, 1997; Page A01 Ordinary tourists who dare to climb the Mount Rushmore National Memorial face six months in jail and a $500 fine. Big contributors to Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) are personally escorted to the top of George Washington's head by the park superintendent himself. The morning climb up the majestic carving known as the "shrine of democracy" was the highlight of a $5,000 per person fund-raiser Daschle held last month. The event included nearly 100 Daschle friends, family members, political supporters and about 20 financial contributors, mostly Washington lobbyists. The weekend with the minority leader also featured a drive through the Needles Highway of ancient stone Most tourists must view Mt. Rushmore from below. (File photo/AP) spires; a western barn dance at a Rapid City farm, and a tour of the monument to Sioux warrior Crazy Horse being carved out of a mountainside in the Black Hills. At a time when congressional gift rules have curtailed lobbyists' quality time with lawmakers, the out-of-town fund-raiser – combining one-on-one time with a vacation atmosphere – has become particularly attractive to many donors. "I just like to get to know a man who's going to be around a long time. And I wanted him to get to know who I was so in the future if I want to call him up and see him I'm not a total stranger," said one lobbyist who went on the trip. The Daschle event offered special access both to the senator and the site. Mount Rushmore spokesman Jim Popovich said most visitors can only view the 60-foot high carvings of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt from below. They are kept from climbing the goat trail and ladders to the top because of safety concerns. "Typically we don't take people up there, but senators and congressmen and people who are doing something to help Mount Rushmore are usually taken up," Popovich said. He said the park superintendent takes 10 to 15 groups a year up the mountain, mostly people who have contributed to the memorial redevelopment fund. But there was criticism of giving contributors some of the best access to Mount Rushmore since Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint were portrayed racing across the presidents' heads in the Alfred Hitchcock classic "North by Northwest." "If people weren't bothered by the Lincoln Bedroom, maybe Mount Rushmore will get them," said Charles Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity. "This is really offensive. We always hear about access – this is access, access to Mount Rushmore." He said the donors "got VIP treatment at one of America's landmark sites which happens to be owned by the taxpayers of America." Daschle's political director, Michael Meehan, said Daschle "did not sell access to Mount Rushmore. That is just a totally unfounded claim." He noted that the park service takes other politicians' groups up the mountain and that many of those who went on the trip did not contribute, although an invitation to the "Black Hills Weekend With Tom & Linda Daschle" notes "the contribution for the weekend is $5,000." Daschle shared the take with the South Dakota Democratic party. Meehan said Daschle organized the fund-raiser because he and his wife "wanted to brag on their state. . . . Plus, Daschle has to raise a lot of money." National Park Service spokesman David Barna said, "It's not unusual for us to be asked by senators and congressmen to give private tours or special tours in parts that the public isn't ordinarily allowed." Asked whether it was appropriate to bring contributors on such a trip as part of a fund-raising weekend, he said, "It is in his [Daschle's] district and he in a sense has oversight over the Park Service and so we provide a service to them. We're not judgmental about why they're there." For three days this week, Meehan declined to release the names of the guests, saying their contributions would be made public on Daschle's Federal Election Commission Report, due Jan. 31. Yesterday, after The Washington Post had separately obtained the names of about 20 attendees, Meehan said Daschle "does not like the impression that he has something to hide," and provided a full list. Attendees included Washington lobbyists from UST, the smokeless tobacco maker; Bell Atlantic Corp.; BellSouth Corp.; Ameritech, Sprint Corp.; Miller Brewing Co.; Unilever, McDonnell Douglas Corp., the Public Securities Association; the American Automobile Manufacturers; and the National Association of Letter Carriers. With a major battle taking place over air routes to Japan, Northwest Airlines Corp. and its competitor, Federal Express Corp., were represented – Northwest by one of its principal investors, Richard Blum, whose wife, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also attended, and Federal Express lobbyist Rick Rodgers and outside lobbyist Bill Oldaker. Deputy Labor Secretary Kitty Higgins, a friend of Linda Daschle's, also joined the group. While most fund-raisers are "grip-and-grin" events in hotel ballrooms, other politicians also have taken contributors on more adventurous outings. For example, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) took 95 supporters golfing and boating in Bigfork last month, and Sen. Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) had a golf tournament at his state's famed Pinehurst resort. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) has gone fishing with donors while Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D-Pa.) has taken them whitewater rafting. Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.) has an annual fund-raiser during the Baseball Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y, where donors get to mingle with former baseball stars. George Gould of the letter carriers, who went on the Daschle trip, said: "The Washington fund-raisers are routine and they get pretty predictable. They have a bar and they have food and you stand and you talk to people you know. . . . "If I could travel with somebody or spend a weekend with them, I obviously could get to know them better. . . . I find it a much more comfortable, rewarding way to do my work and I develop a deeper and longer-term relationship that you can't do standing in line with 200 to 2,000 people at a reception at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill." © Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company Back to the top Go to Campaign Finance Report | Go to Politics Section