The Obama campaign’s Swiss backers will gather to raise money today in Geneva. Charles Adams, a lawyer based in Geneva, and Matthew Barzum, former ambassador to Sweden and Obama’s national finance chairman, will host the fundraiser. Return of the Killer Tomatoes! star George Clooney is set to headline the event, which will fetch as much as $30,000 per couple.
The actor George Clooney will headline a sequel to the blockbuster fund-raiser he hosted this year to benefit President Obama’s campaign.
Mr. Clooney will appear at a reception for Mr. Obama on Aug. 27 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to Mr. Obama’s campaign Web site. The event will be hosted by Charles C. Adams Jr., a Geneva-based lawyer, and Matthew Barzun, the Obama campaign’s national finance chairman and a former U.S. ambassador to Sweden.
The Tribune de Genève reports that a reception for 150 people will be followed by a dinner for 50. Tickets start at $1,000, but the price goes up to $5,000 for a photo reception. A seat at the dinner table will cost $20,000 per person, or $30,000 for a couple.
Adams, a prominent bundler for Obama’s reelection campaign, has pledged to raise between $200,000 and $500,000. In May 2010, Adams became the head of Akin Gump’s Geneva office. According to its website, the Geneva office is in the "ideal location" to advise international clients of and "high net-worth individuals regarding tax planning and offshore trusts, as well as corporate and individual representation."
The Obama campaign and its super PAC have a history of turning to bundlers and donors who are experts in outsourcing and setting up offshore bank accounts. Marjorie Rawls Roberts, an Obama bundler committed to raising between $100,000 and $200,000, is a tax lawyer in the U.S. Virgin Islands who "specializes in the areas of tax, investment, and offshore funds." Dr. Irwin Jacobs, who contributed $2 million to Priorities USA, founded Qualcomm, a company that has profited from outsourcing and has substantial cash holdings in offshore accounts.