WASHINGTON (FOX19) -
Supporters of Pres. Barack Obama and some of America's
biggest corporations will foot the bill for Monday's public inauguration
festivities. The tab is likely to run into the tens of millions of dollars.
On Friday, FOX19 attempted to see how many people from the
Tri-State are giving money. But this year, Pres. Obama and his inaugural
committee are not making that information immediately available. In 2009, they
listed each donor's name, where they live, and how much they donated. Not this
year. We'll have to wait for the committee to file its required report with the
Federal Election Commission. However, the deadline for that isn't until three
months from now.
The inaugural
committee's website does list the names of individuals and corporations
which have given money. However, it doesn't say how much they've donated or who
they work for.
One name from the Tri-State that is not on the donor list
this year is Cincinnati attorney Stan Chesley, who gave $50,000 for Pres.
Obama's first inauguration in 2009. FOX19 tried to reach Chesley for comment
today. But a receptionist at his office said he was unavailable.
Since Pres. Obama's first inauguration, Chesley has been in
a legal fight of his
own over his handling of the famous Fen-Phen
case.
Another change from 2009 is that this year Pres. Obama's
inaugural committee is accepting money from big corporations. AT&T,
Microsoft, and ExxonMobil are all giving money this time. The Hill newspaper
reports Exxon
will likely donate $250,000.
Consumer watchdogs worry that whenever companies with
business before the government donate to events like inaugurations they'll
expect favored treatment in return. However, an ExxonMobil spokesman tells The
Hill that his company is donating because it's "an important and historic
event in the American political process."
Copyright 2013 WXIX. All rights reserved.
Attorney Stan Chesley (Source: David Perry/Lexington Herald-Leader)
FOX19-WXIX
