No one wants to fess up to having reserved a congressional room for the bizarre coronation for Sun Myung Moon in March.
[T]here is someone left in Washington with a sense of embarrassment over Moon’s antics: The name of the senator who gave permission for Moon to use the Dirksen Building remains a mystery.
I’m not surprised this person is embarrassed, but I am surprised it’s been kept a secret this long. Surely there’s a record of this. It seems like only a matter of time before it gets out. Remember Guilty Senator: The cover-up is always worse than the crime.
It seemed like the early favorite was Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), who actually attended the event and was photographed on the stage. Yet Dayton’s office is distancing itself quickly.
U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton thought he was simply doing a good turn on March 23 when he stopped by a Capitol Hill event honoring a Minnesota woman with an “Ambassadors for Peace” award.
[…]
“This is the M.O. (method of operation) of the Moon organization,” fumed Chris Lisi, Dayton’s spokeswoman. “This is their history. When people found out that this had happened, no one was surprised that the Moon organization had duped members of Congress intentionally, because this is what they do.”
Asked whether Dayton adheres to Moon’s beliefs, Lisi replied, “Absolutely not. He’s a Presbyterian, for heaven’s sake. He didn’t even know who Reverend Moon was when I first brought it up.”
If, by chance, any of my Capitol Hill readers happen to know the culprit, be sure to let me know. I’d love to get this scoop.
Update: One of my Hill sources offered an interesting observation: Trent Lott, as Rules Committee Chairman, approves all requests to reserve rooms. Something to keep in mind.