Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust (9 page)

Along with the energetic, passionate and photogenic Michaele the couple registered as lobbyists and began to buttonhole lawmakers at the state capitol in Richmond. Mrs. Salahi may have been the most effective weapon in the arsenal. She and her assistant, Jennifer Woods, made extra lobbying trips to Richmond. “At least five or six as I recall,” Woods said. No lawmaker refused to sit down and listen to the arrestingly beautiful Michaele. It also didn’t hurt that the Salahis were known to be enthusiastic and long time supporters of the Democratic Party in Virginia.

“We went to Richmond and lobbied hard, week after week, to try to get things changed,” Michaele said. “And finally we did it! I was so proud of our efforts! It helped the entire industry.”

Michaele and Tareq collected people. As most astute business people do, wherever the couple went they gathered up business cards traded phone numbers and stayed in touch with those they met on the social circle. Justin Paschal was one such person. They first met him in 2001 at a political fundraiser held aboard Tareq’s yacht, “Celebration.” Paschal has long been a top strategist for Democratic Party causes.

When the Salahis’ friend Tim Kaine was running for Governor of Virginia, Tareq says he got a call from Justin who knew of their long support for Kaine’s candidacy. At the time Justin was calling in his capacity as a top assistant to the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Terry McAuliffe. Tareq was told that McAuliffe wanted to know more about Tim Kaine and whether the national party should jump in with a cash infusion to help Kaine’s race. Tareq asked Kaine if he would be interested in an introduction to the DNC and the candidate literally jumped at the chance. Tareq brokered a luncheon for Justin Paschal and Kaine at Dante’s Italian Restaurant in Great Falls, Virginia. Shortly after that meeting, the DNC made a major investment in the Kaine for Governor Campaign, at least 1.5 million dollars and maybe more, which by all accounts helped him win the race.

In 2005, the DNC prevailed upon the Salahis once again. McAuliffe asked if they would be willing to donate cases of their award winning wine to a special Rock the Vote event being held at the National Building Museum in downtown Washington, DC. During a planning meeting with McAuliffe, Tareq Salahi recalls being told, “We’ve got a really promising new U.S. Senator we want to promote. His name is Barack Obama from Illinois. This guy is going to go places—he could become President of the United States!” The Salahis say they donated fifty cases of their most expensive Brut Cuvee, dozens of cases of their barrel select Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and they picked up the tab for all the VIP limousines that night. Celebrities in attendance at that glittering evening included American Idol judge (and former Journey band member) Randy Jackson and the rock band
The Black Eyed Peas
. The Salahis say they were delighted to be involved in the event and happy to meet, financially support and be photographed with Senator Obama.

“He was so dynamic and amazing,” Michaele said.

Tareq added, “Justin tooted our horn to the Senator and told him all about Oasis Vineyards and our history of donating wine and time to the Democratic Party. He was very gracious to us.” The couple agreed Senator Obama looked like a politician who was going places.

Tim Kaine won the Governor’s race by a margin of 52 to 46 percent and was sworn in as Virginia’s 70
^th
Governor, in January 2006. Kaine had learned to play politics with the best of them, and during his gubernatorial campaign he was able to attract the endorsement of one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars, the newly elected Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. Mr. Obama’s stature had risen considerably after his rousing keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston the year before. When he came to Virginia to deliver his personal support of Kaine’s candidacy, Senator Obama told the crowds, “Tim Kaine has a message of fiscal responsibility and generosity of spirit. That kind of message can sell anywhere!”

Tim Kaine would go on to become an active member of the National Governor’s Association and, thanks to the initial introduction by Tareq Salahi to top officials at the Democratic National Committee, he cultivated strong ties with the DNC. In February 2007, Kaine became the first state official to publically support Mr. Obama’s presidential bid. In July of 2008 the highly regarded political site
Politico.com
reported the Virginia Governor was “very, very high” on candidate Obama’s short list for Vice President.

While not tapped to be the Vice Presidential candidate, Kaine became close with the Obama Camp. Like any effective politician he always knew the value of making and keeping generous contacts—especially those who could offer something of value—like the Salahis who donated cases of wine, cash or man hours to political events. They could always be counted on to help their friend, Governor Kaine.

Virginia law does not allow a governor to serve successive terms, so after four years in office, Tim Kaine’s next career stop was to become Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. It was a prestigious appointment and one that had to have been approved by President Obama himself.

Before Kaine left office, on the evening of November 11, 2009, Tareq Salahi wrote to the Governor’s personal e-mail address.

Hi, Tim! How are you, friend? Sorry to be up-front—one of the things we always wanted to do with you was that dinner in the Gov. Mansion, but didn’t want to bother you with such a matter during your busiest times. What do you think—have we run out of time?

Five days later, on November 16
^th
, Kaine answered via e-mail at 7:54 in the morning.

Great to hear from you. We would like to get you here. I will have Cathy reach out to you.

The Salahis never heard another word about dinner in the Governor’s mansion.

Going to the White House

In the social circles that swirl around the nation’s capitol, there isn’t a person who doesn’t secretly hope for an invitation to a White House event. It’s the ultimate punctuation point to one’s social standing. If you are included on a White House guest list, you experience a jetpack boost to your social thrust that is difficult to duplicate anywhere else. Among the myriad of events held at the White House, the most coveted invitation of all is that golden ticket to an official state dinner.

In early 2009 the doyennes of the social scene in DC were waiting with baited breath to see who would make the cut on newly elected President and Mrs. Barack Obama’s first state dinner. Barack Obama’s first state dinner. They were forced to wait a considerable amount of time, which only heightened the anxiety, curiosity and competition.

That first state dinner didn’t come until well into President Obama’s freshman year in the White House. It was finally determined that the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, would be the honored guests for the President Obama’s premiere dinner event on November 24
^th
, 2009. Hope soared among members of the social fringe that they might be among the anointed this time when word trickled out that the normal guest list of 150 would be more than
doubled
by the Obamas!

For special affairs at the White House there is the official guest list and then the
other
guest list. Officially recognized recipients get special engraved invitations snuggled into thick cream-colored envelopes with tissue paper inserts delivered to their door step. Those on the other list—well, not so much. The secondary list, called the OTR (off the record) list by insiders, consists of those lucky invitees who get included at pretty much the last minute. They learn of their luck by phone call or, in more recent times, via e-mail.

No one who throws a party wants it to look sparsely attended and no one wants empty seats at the dinner table. Yet, what’s a hostess to do when last minute cancellations come in? At the White House they go to the OTR list. It’s a way to pay back past political favors, and even though Miss Manners might consider such a last minute invitation a backhanded amenity, there is a never-ending supply of political glamour groupies who would eagerly trade their next two week European cruise for a couple of hours in such heady company. Each will have their own reasons for ignoring the fact that they are attending an event where they would otherwise not be welcome.

At 4:15 in the afternoon of November 20, 2009, an urgent e-mail was sent out from the desk of Rosalind Tyner, office manager for the Gardner Law Group in Baltimore, Maryland. The firm’s namesake partner, Paul Gardner, received a message from Ms. Tyner marked with “high” importance. The Salahis were copied on the same message.