Young Eagles

The Young Eagles is a Republican program aimed at cultivating major donors under 45 years old. The director of Young Eagles was Allison Meyers, who was fired from her position after she asked the Republican National Committee (RNC) to reimburse a Republican consultant almost $2,000 for a January 31, 2010 after-party event for young Republicans at a club called Voyeur West Hollywood which features topless female dancers wearing bondage gear and simulating sex acts. Meyers' identity was first reported by the National Journal's Hotline.

According to the RNC and other officials, the trip to Voyeur occurred after an official RNC Young Eagles dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel attended by about 50 young Republican donors. According to reports, Meyers organized both the official RNC event and the after-party at the club. About a dozen young Republicans, including Meyers, attended the Voyeur gathering, according to GOP officials.

One of those in attendance was Erik Brown, a GOP donor and consultant whose company, Dynamic Marketing, Inc., has earned about $160,000 from the GOP.

Fundraising tactics
The RNC's Young Eagles program is designed to develop Republican donors in their 30's and 40's. It requires annual donations of $2,500 to $7,500 per person depending on age. The program has drawn notice for its sometimes edgy approach to fundraising. In one example, Young Eagles donors were scheduled to gather for a North Carolina retreat on April 22, 2010 at a firearms training facility run by Xe Services, the controversial military contractor previously known as Blackwater, which has been dogged with allegations of civilian killings, and other abuses in U.S. war zones. "Young Eagles" members were also invited to a "professional bull riding event" which was expected to raise $50,000, and to a no-holds-barred Ultimate Fighting Championship fight in Las Vegas, which was expected to raise $60,000.

Sourcewatch resources

 * Erik Brown
 * Republican National Committee

External resources

 * Republican National Committee Presentation Pushes Fear to Raise Funds, PRWatch.org, March 3, 2010