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August 11, 2010, 4:29 pm
by Christina Wilkie
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Embattled Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) will celebrate his 80th birthday Wednesday night with a lavish fundraiser at the Plaza Hotel, but the guest list may not be as long as it's been in years past.
The party traditionally draws an A-List crowd of donors and politicos, but with Rangel facing ethics charges, the former Ways and Means Committee chairman has been making a last minute push to market the fundraiser.
Countering media reports of a dwindling guest list, Rangel tweeted on Wednesday that the fundraiser was sold-out.
"Despite what the media wants you to believe," Rangel wrote at Rangel4Congress, "#BirthdayGala is sold out! TKTS will be sold on charlierangel.org ONLY if they become available."
But the announcement that the party is sold out might cause some confusion for the recipients of Rangel's last-minute robo-call invitation, in which he urges in a cheerful tone for recipients to "join me," at "a great party" and gives the number to call for tickets. According to one recipient, the call was still being sent out as late as Wednesday morning.
The news that the party is sold out might also sound odd to people who actually try to buy tickets. Based on five attempts Wednesday afternoon to purchase a ticket through the automatic ticketing system, and the receipts the system generated, there still appear to be a few spots available.
Rangel spokesman Bob Liff told the New York Daily News, "We are running up against the fire code limit for the room ... we have 800 people coming and we want to make sure everybody fits comfortably in the room."
According to the Plaza Hotel's website, 800 guests is the exact capacity number for a cocktail reception in the Grand Ballroom.
Adding to the party's intrigue is a memo Rangel's campaign sent to guests, which touts special appearances by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. As late as Wednesday afternoon, neither Cuomo nor Schumer would confirm their attendance.
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