Here’s a fun coda on Bobby Jindal’s links to Scott Rothstein, the Fort Lauderdale lawyer who is accused of a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme: at the time of the Republican governors’ conference in Miami last year, Rothstein and his wife hosted a $10,000-per-couple cocktail reception for Jindal at Casa Casuarina, the mansion where designer Gianni Versace was murdered in 1997.
We already knew about a pre-game fundraiser for the Louisiana governor, co-chaired by Rothstein, that was held the day of the LSU-UF matchup in October 2008. After TPMmuckraker reported that event, Jindal said he would give back $30,000 to a victim’s compensation fund, once one was created.
But the $30,000 figure didn’t make sense. That’s because Rothstein and his firm gave just $10,000 at the October fundraiser. And Jindal’s office wouldn’t explain the discrepancy.
That’s where the Versace Mansion event, held in November 2008, comes in. GOP operative and former Rothstein associate Roger Stone, who says he attended the intimate reception, sends along the invitation. Rothstein owned a 10% stake in the mansion.
A VIP reception from 8:00-8:30 p.m. cost $10,000 per couple, and was followed by an 8:30-10:00 p.m. cocktail reception for $5,000 per couple. The fundraiser was held the Wednesday night of the Republican Governors Association conference, headlined by Sarah Palin. Stone says he remembers Jindal huddling with Rothstein at the RGA. Clearly, the two men developed a friendly relationship.
Still, it’s not known whose money Jindal is giving back. His campaign records show a few large Florida donations on the date of the Versace fundraiser, but none from Rothstein himself.
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