Gala Hollywood Farewell Salute to President Clinton
Encyclopedia
The Hollywood Gala Salute to President William Jefferson Clinton took place on August 12, 2000 at the private Brentwood, California
estate of businessman Ken Roberts. It was produced and hosted by Peter F. Paul
and Aaron Tonken, and was the largest Hollywood tribute ever produced for a sitting President of the United States. Besides honoring President Bill Clinton
, it also served as a fund raising event for the 2000 U.S. Senate election campaign of First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton
, and was the largest such event of her campaign. The event also included the largest invitation-only private concert, featuring eight international headlining artists.
The event included both a dinner and a concert, and about 350 people accepted invitations to both. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050508-115753-6895r.htm The singers during the concert included Michael Bolton
, Cher
, Toni Braxton
, Patti Labelle
, Sugar Ray
, and Diana Ross
. Celebrities in attendance included John Travolta
, Brad Pitt
, Jennifer Aniston
, Jason Alexander
, and Muhammad Ali
and his wife Lonnie Ali. White House daughter Chelsea Clinton
was also present for the event.
Hillary Clinton's campaign failed to file proper documentation for the event with the Federal Election Commission
, and later paid $35,000 in fines.
Shortly after the party, it was revealed that organizer Peter Paul had a criminal conviction for drug dealing, leading Clinton to distance herself from him. Three other men involved with the gala have also since been convicted of federal felonies. Co-organizer Aaron Tonken was sentenced to 63 months in jail for committing fraud
connected with charity fund raising. Sponsor Raymond Reggie was convicted of bank fraud
and served time in jail. Finally, a man named James Levin, who claimed to have been paid to "monitor" the party for Clinton pleaded guilty to a minority contracting fraud scheme involving the Chicago Public Schools
.
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
estate of businessman Ken Roberts. It was produced and hosted by Peter F. Paul
Peter F. Paul
Peter F. Paul is a former lawyer and entrepreneur who was convicted for conspiracy and drug dealing, and later for securities fraud in connection with his business dealings with Spider-Man creator Stan Lee...
and Aaron Tonken, and was the largest Hollywood tribute ever produced for a sitting President of the United States. Besides honoring President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, it also served as a fund raising event for the 2000 U.S. Senate election campaign of First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, and was the largest such event of her campaign. The event also included the largest invitation-only private concert, featuring eight international headlining artists.
The event included both a dinner and a concert, and about 350 people accepted invitations to both. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050508-115753-6895r.htm The singers during the concert included Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, Patti Labelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
, and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. Celebrities in attendance included John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
, Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
, Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
, and Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
and his wife Lonnie Ali. White House daughter Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
was also present for the event.
Hillary Clinton's campaign failed to file proper documentation for the event with the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
, and later paid $35,000 in fines.
Shortly after the party, it was revealed that organizer Peter Paul had a criminal conviction for drug dealing, leading Clinton to distance herself from him. Three other men involved with the gala have also since been convicted of federal felonies. Co-organizer Aaron Tonken was sentenced to 63 months in jail for committing fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
connected with charity fund raising. Sponsor Raymond Reggie was convicted of bank fraud
Bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...
and served time in jail. Finally, a man named James Levin, who claimed to have been paid to "monitor" the party for Clinton pleaded guilty to a minority contracting fraud scheme involving the Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
.