Fundraiser to be held for Goode on 9/11

On Thursday, a large Washington, D.C., political lobbying firm will be holding a fundraiser for 5th District incumbent Virgil Goode.

Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. (VSAPAC), an independent firm, will hold a lunch plate fundraiser for the Republican congressman.

Individuals are invited to attend for $500 per plate, political action committees for $2,000, and political action committee sponsors can attend for $2,500.

Goode said he wasn’t sure who or what VSA is, but said it might have something to do with Virginia Tech.

VSA is a leading lobbying firm that has raised money for candidates who fall along all lines of the political spectrum, according to online database www.politicalbase.com.

The event will be held about five miles from the location where a plane, hijacked by terrorists, crashed into the Pentagon seven years earlier.

Goode said he believed the date was scheduled due to the availability of the space and had nothing to do with the events of 2001. He also said he would be participating in Congress’ ceremony on the House floor to commemorate the terrorist attack.

“I’ll never forget that day,” Goode said, “just the impact right in the Washington area.”

He recalled looking at the site where some “persons on one side of a room were totally cooked and died instantly and some on the other side of the room were not hurt. …It was a grizzly site.”

Members of VSA hosting the event could not be reached for comment on why they are supporting Goode.

Democratic challenger Tom Perriello’s campaign was shocked by the fundraiser.

“I don’t know what is more troubling: Goode scheduling a ‘pay-to-play’ fundraiser on Sept. 11th or Goode not even keeping track of who is buying influence with him,” Perriello communications director Jessica Barba said in a written statement.

“This is just another example of how Virgil Goode has been bought and paid for by the special interests in Washington,” she said, adding that the congressman should cancel the event.

Not canceling the event, she said, “would send a strong signal to voters that he is more interested in representing special interests over Southside.”

Contact Sarah Arkin at sarkin@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7983.