Veil of secrecy at Obama's London fundraiser

[Karmadillo]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/veil_of_secrecy_at_obamas_lond.html

Veil of secrecy at Obama's London fundraiser
By Tom Hundley

LONDON -- An unusual veil of secrecy shrouded Michelle Obama’s fundraising trip here Monday evening.

The $2,300-a-head event at the Landmark Hotel was “closed to the press.” But the hotel lobby 45 minutes before the event started?

When a young campaign aide spotted a Tribune reporter chatting with a couple of enthusiastic Obama supporters, he interrupted the conversation and scolded the reporter.

“This is a private event. We have to ask you to exit the hotel,” the aide said.

The taken-aback reporter declined, pointing out that a hotel lobby is a public gathering place and that he had no intention of crashing the event. Asked why the hotel lobby had to be declared a press-free zone, the aide said something about “protecting the privacy” of the people who paid to be here.

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