How To Become A Force In The Democratic Party

A must read in today's Washington Post. This rather lengthly article tells the story of how Aaron Tonken, a con man, rose to prominence in Democratic circles by, in his own words, "taking from the needy to feed the greedy."

"When I saw that, I said, this kid has talent." noted Peter Paul, big time fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.

While living in a homeless shelter, Tonken arranged cons like this one: While lunching with Natalie Cole in New York City in 1998, Tonken and the singer landed an invitation to a cocktail party at the Fifth Avenue penthouse of Denise Rich, a wealthy pal of the Clintons. Rich later figured prominently in the scandal over the last-minute pardon President Bill Clinton granted to her ex-husband, felonious financier Marc Rich. Soon Tonken was invited back to Rich's for an exclusive Democratic National Committee fundraising luncheon with the Clintons. To get in, Tonken said, he wrote a check for a $50,000 donation. Tonken didn't have the cash, so he stopped the check right after lunch, he said. A Democratic fundraiser phoned a few times to collect, then gave up, Tonken said.

Apparently, being a deadbeat didn't hurt Tonken's political prospects. Before long, Tonken was helping Rich and others throw Democratic fundraising events. He was on a first-name basis with then-DNC Chairman Ed Rendell, who once penned a note saying, "Aaron . . . You're the best!"

Tonken was a high school dropout who made his way as a con man and ended up as a big wheel in Clinton political machine. His biography has that in common with David Rosen. Although Rosen managed to stay out of homeless shelters by selling books door-to-door. His pushy salemanship eventually earned him an introduction and a job raising money for the Clinton machine in 1995.

The Post has this to say about the third character in this drama: Peter Paul's life had spooled out like a B-movie, complete with the usual cliches: double crosses and death threats. So he was a natural to land in Hollywood. How he came within a Tinseltown air kiss of the leader of the free world is a little harder to fathom.

In the late 1970s, Paul was convicted both of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiring to defraud the Cuban government of $8.75 million in a bogus coffee sale, court records show. Paul and his co-conspirators tricked the Cuban government into buying 3,000 metric tons of coffee beans from them, even though the conspirators didn't have the beans. They bought a freighter, allegedly to ship the beans, all the while planning to sink it -- holds empty -- and claim that the beans were lost at sea.

Peter Paul eventually tried to purchase, with the assistance of DNC party chairman Ed Rendell, a pardon for his crime. The price, and Rendell was very direct about this, was a $200,000 donation to the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. But, the shit hit the fan before it could be finalized and Paul had to flee to Brazil.

James Levin was another heavyweight in the Clinton machine: Levin, the presidential pal asked to watch out for the Clintons' interests, later entered an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to defrauding the Chicago Public Schools in a bribery, minority-contracting fraud and bid-rigging scheme, court records show. At the time he was assessing Tonken's character, Levin was cheating schoolchildren by overbilling the public school hundreds of thousands of dollars for snow removal. President Clinton so relied on Levin's judgment, Levin later testified, that he asked the businessman to fly to Los Angeles and be his eyes and ears as gala plans unfolded.

The story tells you much about the company the Clintons keep. And, it tells you a great deal about what their loyalty. You can buy their love, but they'll sell your ass down the river the moment you need something in return.

What has become of these people?

Aaron Tonken, now almost famous, pleaded guilty to stealing from several charities and is serving more than five years in a California prison. "I'm very happy," Tonken said in an interview from Taft Correctional Institution. Prison is blissfully stress-free compared with ducking loan sharks, catering to spoiled stars and trying to please all those insistent government investigators, he said. Tonken's weight has dropped from nearly 300 pounds to 165 since he went to prison. He said he runs four miles daily. A prison psychiatrist and psychologist are even helping him try to get rid of his facial tics, he said. Tonken is still a celebrity buff, though. "I met Anthony Pellicano," the famed Hollywood private eye turned felon, Tonken said breathlessly. "The guy they wrote 'Blow' about is here, too."

Peter Paul pleaded guilty in March to one felony in connection with his Stan Lee Media stock transactions (another scam). While awaiting sentencing, Paul is living in North Carolina on welfare, he said. His family receives food stamps. He suffers from chronic bronchitis and arthritis, the legacy of his time in rough Brazilian prisons, he said.

Rosen is still bringing in money for Democrats, who seem willin to overlook anthing in exchange for money.

Rosen, now 38, is left with $1.4 million in legal bills. His defense cost even more than prosecutors say the gala did. Rosen's company, which had 11 employees before he was indicted, now has just two. He has two clients. The gala, one night of a thousand egos, took five years from his life. Some people say Rosen has been ruined. Those people never sold books door to door.

Rosen lives these days in a simply furnished space above his Chicago headquarters. Upstairs, his guitar rests alongside sheet music for the folk songs he and his bride sing together: Rosebud duets. Downstairs, the "money pit," the nerve center for frenetic fundraising calls, is silent for now.

People ask Rosen if he's quitting the fundraising business. He's proud to tell them that he just opened a second office, this one in Washington. In some ways, Rosen said in a recent interview in his home, it seems as if he is in a familiar place. He feels as if he's way out on a country road. It's 4 p.m., and he hasn't sold a book all day. His bags are heavy, but he knows his strength. And he knows that there's nothing wrong with a fellow wanting to quit -- just as long as he doesn't quit.

Update: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame yesterday.