Client 09-31: Day Two

Late start this morning; "ran into" Senator X's chief of staff at Tunnicliff's last night. Did not need to match him drink-for-drink. Advantage was that I found a legal parking space on Capitol Hill, and left the Defender there overnight.

Morning meeting with the Senator himself, in his hideaway. Hard to find; it's easy to get lost in those Capitol hallways.

He's a good-looking guy, but not too good-looking; charming without being too charming. Looks you straight in the eye, but I never met a politician who didn't. Human: "I've made some mistakes, but you know everything." If that were true, he wouldn't have hired us. Remember All the King's Men: "There is always something."

Spent the rest of the morning on routine background: credit check, transcripts, public records. Go figure, Senator X is actually an Eagle Scout.

Met an old friend for lunch at Georgia Brown's. JG is a political fundraiser; I tossed Senator X into the conversation and she said she'd love to have him as a client, but didn't think he'd need her. "The guy's bulletproof," she said. If so, what does he need me for?

Asked Dorothy to search FEC records on contributors to Senator X’s last campaign. He’s got to have some deep pockets.

Tonight, met Senator X's campaign consultants for drinks. Not sure whether they recommended hiring us, but they expect to be kept in the loop. Surprise was that Mrs. X showed up, without the Senator. She's clearly important to the campaign team. A real asset; good looks, charm, and the family money doesn't hurt.