Clinton To Seek Celebrity Support At Fundraiser Hosted By Pop Producer Scooter Braun
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hillary Clinton has announced plans to return to Southern California to raise more money from the Hollywood crowd.
Her host this time is Scooter Braun, a talent manager who represents some of the biggest names in music, including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande - both pop stars who've recently caused some controversy.
The question is whether of Braun's clients will be at the fundraiser.
Bieber, a native of Canada, has made headlines over accusations of egging houses and getting arrested for drag-racing.
"Hillary Clinton definitely would not want to be in the same room as Justin Bieber himself. He's had some legal troubles lately and, fortunately for Hillary Clinton, he's not a citizen or a resident alien so he's not allowed to give money in the first place," according to Prof. Jack Pitney, who teaches American politics at Claremont McKenna College.
Grande apologized this month after coming under fire for a video that shows her licking a donut at an Inland Empire shop and saying she hates America. She's since released a video of her own accord where she apologizes for her behavior, saying she's proud to be an American but is concerned about the nation's obesity epidemic. She sums up her message: "Not here to make any excuses. I'm just here to apologize."
Political candidates have been making it a habit since the 1930s to campaign in Los Angeles.
Pitney says cash and endorsements come with whatever benefits or baggage the stars carry. Warren Beatty and Barbara Streisand brought Sen. George McGovern badly needed attention during his 1972 presidential campaign. But when Frank Sinatra got close to JFK: "At that point, people in the government very quietly told John F. Kennedy about Frank Sinatra's mafia ties. At that point, JFK started keeping his distance."
The political expert suggests candidates are wise to keep their distance from the stars, only getting close enough to get their financial support.
Clinton's last L.A. fundraiser was held at the home of "Spiderman" star Tobey Maguire.
The Scooter Braun event is scheduled for early August.
