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.

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


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.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate