RSS
Home
White House guest list includes the rich and famous
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
On Friday, October 31, the White House released records of visitors to the White House, since President Obama moved in last January. The White House said the list was being provided to show transparency, as was promised by Obama during his campaign. Candidate Obama also pledged to reduce special-interest influences on policy making and the amount of time lobbyists would be allowed to spend making their cases. The list of 480 names includes celebrities, corporate executives, prominent lobbyists and Democrat fundraisers.
The most prominent name on the visitor log is that of Andy Stern. Mr. Stern is the head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and tops the list with 22 visits to the White House in the past 9 months. Five of those visits were meetings with President Obama, himself. The specifics of the other meetings were not disclosed. Andy Stern is a staunch supporter of Universal Healthcare and card check for union members. Former Obama transition director John Podesta was the second most common visitor with about 17 appearances and NOW president Kim Gandy was the third most popular with about 15 visits.
There are several other prominent names that appear on President Obama’s visitors list more than once. Ed Yingling, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association and a registered lobbyist, met with the president at least four times. Camden Fine, chief executive of the Independent Community Bankers of America and a Washington lobbyist for the group also had at least four meetings with President Obama. Steve Elmendor, a Democratic strategist, lobbyist [Ford Motor Co., UnitedHealth Group and Verizon] and former House staffer has signed in as a visitor to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave on at least four occasions. Anthony and Heather Podesta, who are lobbyists and Democratic fund raisers, have logged five visits to the White House to meet with the president or his aides. Powerful lobbyists and big-time Democratic fundraiser George Soros has made four trips to the White house, as well.
The White House visitor’s log is not short on celebrity names, either. The house-hold names include Oprah Winfery, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Serena Williams and Brad Pitt. The names of Michael Jordan, Michael Moore, William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright showed up on the list, too. The White House was quick to note that the visitors were not actually the basketball star, the documentary filmmaker or the controversial activist and preacher. The claim is that the names are of visitors who simply share their names with the rich and famous.
The list released is a partial one and was prepared in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from news and ethics organizations.
Related Articles:
Comments
