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Mall's Millennium Bash
Businessman Is One in a Million With Mega-Gift
Washington Post
November 19, 1999
Author: Susan Levine; Washington Post Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 2

Washington's millennium celebrations could use a few more folks like Vinod Gupta.
The Omaha businessman is the only donor to the New Year's festivities fund who has been identified by officials organizing the White House-promoted events on the Mall. His seven-figure contribution was announced very publicly--at a September news conference with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Since then, those federal officials and also the District officials putting together a separate city-sponsored party on Constitution Avenue NW have declined to name any other individuals who are helping to payfor the three days of celebration.

Which leaves Gupta, and his $1 million check, alone in the spotlight.

"I've been blessed with a lot of good fortune," he said, as if that alone might explain why he decided to help stage the White House show in such generous fashion. He'd called the first lady's chief fund-raiser, Terry McAuliffe, to ask how he could assist, and was told money would be nice. "I figured, a million dollars is a million dollars, but what the hell."

Gupta is no stranger to fund-raisers. He's given much and often to Democratic candidates and causes during the last eight years, including U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey (Neb.), Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee. In 1997, public-interest groups accused him of buying his way into the running for the consular general post in Bermuda. The job went to someone else.

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http://www.slate.com/id/2446/

The Kiddie-Cash CaperGifts from minors are the next big campaign loophole.
By David Mastio
Posted Thursday, May 22, 1997, at 3:30 AM ET

EXCERPT

The Gupta family of Omaha, Neb., is among the more generous sources of student cash. Vinod Gupta is the founder and CEO of American Business Information. Campaign gifts totaling $143,000 tied him at No. 135 on the Mother Jones list of top contributors. His sons, Jess (age 17), Benjamin (14), and Alexander (11), gave an additional $12,000. All this went to two campaigns--Clinton's and Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson's--in which the senior Gupta had reached his maximum.

Jess, a student at Philips Exeter Academy, freely admits he had nothing to do with the donations. "Dad makes those donations in my name," he says. Vinod Gupta insists his son was misquoted.