Gregoire moves political dinner

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire on Monday heatedly defended her decision to auction off a dinner at the governor’s mansion to raise thousands for congressional challenger Darcy Burner, but said she’s moved the dinner to a restaurant after an ethics complaint was filed.

“The place isn’t up for rent. The place isn’t up for sale,” the governor said.

Two backers of the 8th District Democratic challenger bid $3,500 apiece for the right to break bread with the governor at the mansion in Olympia. A former foe of Gregoire’s, judicial candidate Richard Pope, filed an ethics complaint, saying it was misuse of a taxpayer-supported facility.

A watchdog agency is looking into it after the attorney general said there is no apparent previous ruling on permissible political uses of the mansion.

On Monday, in response to reporters’ queries at her weekly news conference, Gregoire said the mansion dinner is off. She said she and her husband, Mike, will host the winners at a restaurant or at their private home in Olympia.

The Burner campaign said two bidders at a fundraiser attended by Gregoire earlier this month won the dinner with tie bids of $3,500. Names were not released and further details about the substitute dinner weren’t available from either Gregoire’s office or the campaign.

Gregoire said the decision to move to a less controversial venue was the idea of the recipients, who didn’t want to embarrass her or Burner.

The governor made it clear that she sees nothing wrong with the original setup. “You know, I think there is something fundamentally wrong when I can’t invite somebody into my private quarters at the mansion, buy the food and my husband and I make them dinner. Nevertheless, the party that bid on the dinner doesn’t want to embarrass me and (doesn’t) want to embarrass Darcy, so they’d just as soon not do that. I have agreed to take them out to dinner.”

Asked if she sees no distinction between having regular guests and using the mansion for a political auction item, she said the distinction is that she’s using the private quarters and no public dollars.

Democrat Gregoire said she has opened the mansion for public tours and charitable groups, but never before for a political fundraiser.

Jaime Smith, Burner’s spokeswoman, said she was sure the governor was doing what she considered best in this case.

Burner is considered the state’s top Democratic congressional challenger, taking on freshman Rep. Dave Reichert in the 8th District in Bellevue and the suburbs east of Seattle.

The Reichert campaign said, “We’re not surprised that someone as inexperienced as Darcy Burner was quick to welcome money from the questionable use of taxpayer property, but we’re pleased that the governor has decided to right this wrong.”

The state GOP, which had urged Burner to return the money, said Gregoire made the right decision, but only after “public pressure forced her hand.” Gregoire, a 12-year attorney general, knew better than to use public facilities to benefit a campaign, said state Chairwoman Diane Tebelius.

The episode smacks of “Clinton’s sleepovers” in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House for big contributors to the party, Tebelius said.