Herseth Sandlin Gathers Cash At Lobbyist Home
South Dakota has only one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and that seat has been occupied by Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for several terms now. So, as Representative Herseth Sandlin is seeking re-election this year, you’d think that she would seek out support among her constituents back in South Dakota.
That’s not where Herseth Sandlin was looking on the evening of June 23rd last year. She was looking closer to her place of work, to a home at 425 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington D.C. That address is the home of Tom Trotter.
Trotter is a registered lobbyist. He has, in the past, represented machinists and aerospace union employees. On that June evening in 2009, however, Trotter was representing Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. He wasn’t representing her as a lobbyist, of course, but as a “friend”.
Goodness, what it means to be a friend of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in Washington D.C. Herseth Sandlin’s friendship in political circles seems to be worth quite a large amount, because at that gathering held at lobbyist Tom Trotter’s home, every “friend” in attendance was required to bring a check for at least $1,000.
I can’t think of a single time when I invited friends to a party of mine, and asked them to bring me a thousand dollars. They’ve offered to bring a side dish, or a bottle of wine, but not big wads of money. I suppose being a “friend” means something different for politicians in Washington D.C. than what it means among my circle of acquaintances.
Being a “friend” was not the highest honor at Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s party that night, though. The places of highest esteem were saved for representatives of political action committees, who could pay $2,500 to be listed at the level of “PAC Supporter” or $5,000 to be listed at the level of “PAC Sponsor”.
What do you think those political action committee representatives were paying for? I wasn’t there – I don’t have that kind of money to spare – and so I can’t tell you first hand. I can note, however, that the reception only lasted an hour and a half that evening, and note that even prostitutes don’t charge $5,000 an hour, even with a crowd in attendance. The favors Herseth Sandlin supplied must have been very satisfying indeed.
[...] or $20,000 per PAC, we would be happy to engrave your name on a brick for the front steps in our desired future condo headquarters on New Jersey Avenue SE. Every lobbyist who visits will be sure to know that you were one of our most valued stepping [...]