Frequent Fliers

The White House flights <a href="/cgi-bin/Database_search/db_search.cgi?setup_file=airforce.setup"> database</a> — fully searchable by passenger, date, or miles traveled. <font color="red">Plus</font>, in collaboration with <a href="http://www.tray.com/fecinfo/">FECInfo</a>, view 1995-1996 itemized campaign contributions from each frequent flier.

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We’ve given you the coffees and the sleep-overs, and now, to complete the package tour (food, lodging and travel), the MoJo Wire presents another Web exclusive: the searchable database of White House flights taken by financial supporters of Clinton and Gore.

Throughout the 1995-96 campaign season, Air Force One criss-crossed the country shuttling the president from one canned stump speech (and fundraiser) to another, while Air Force Two did the same for Al Gore. Turns out, a few big spenders got to hitch a ride: This month the White House released a list of 56 fliers who gave at least $5,000 to the Democratic National Committee or raised at least $25,000 for the DNC or the Clinton/Gore campaign.

Who were the lucky travelers? Well, 39 of the 63 went to White House coffees, and eight appear on this year’s MoJo 400. Some were DNC finance staff and other political operatives, including our No. 2 frequent flier, Terry McAuliffe.

Curious about our “frequent-flier” mileage winner? Hint: He hitched a ride all the way to Moscow, he’s a diamond dealer, and he’s an old friend of both Jackie O and ailing Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Wondering who rubbed elbows with Spam heir James Hormel on a June 22, 1995 flight from San Francisco to Portland? Find out here. Or just browse the list and imagine yourself sipping, napping and jetting through friendly skies — with America’s elite campaign contributors.

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Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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