Chelsea Clinton’s wedding—now dubbed “the wedding of the century”—is such an exclusive event that HUMAN EVENTS had not been able to find anyone who is actually attending the July 31 wedding. So many of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s friends and supporters are not invited to the wedding that feelings are getting hurt and egos bruised.
Media reports of the 500 guests at Chelsea’s wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in Rhinebeck, NY include:
Huffington Post: “Oprah Winfrey, who campaigned against Hillary in the 2008 election, will be there.”
New York Daily News: “President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand and ex-British Prime Minister John Major are among the 500 people asked to watch Chelsea marry Marc Mezvinsky.”
AOL News: “President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand are on the A list of guests to watch Chelsea Clinton say “I do.”
But, these reports are all wrong because they are based on a story in a local, weekly newspaper, The Hudson Valley News. HUMAN EVENTS called the published guest list and discovered that none of these luminaries is attending, and, many were not even invited to the wedding.
President Obama: Not attending, but was he even invited?
Despite the detailed report in the Hudson Valley News— “The President is expected to land at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York and take Marine One across the Hudson to Astor Court in Rhinebeck”—the President is not attending the wedding.
When asked at the White House briefing Wednesday if the President was attending Chelsea’s wedding, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded: “Not that I’m aware of.”
HUMAN EVENTS has called the White House press office twice to ask if the President was invited to the wedding, and both times given the response, “I don’t know.” As of press time, the White House has not responded about the invitation.
Oprah Winfrey: Not invited!
The media relations department of Harpo is a tight ship, more professionally run than the White House press office. After clearing four different screeners, a friendly publicist said that Oprah is not attending the wedding.
Was she invited? “Ms. Winfrey has not been invited to the wedding,” said a Harpo spokesperson. Ouch.
Ted Turner: Not attending but not sure if invited.
An assistant to Turner Enterprises Chief Communications Officer Phillip Evans said that Turner is “not attending” the wedding. When asked if he was invited, she said that they are “not aware” because Turner’s mail goes to another office. She agreed to look further into the mail situation and call me back if Turner received a wedding invitation. We’re still waiting….
Doris Kearns Goodwin: Not invited. Looking for the invite in her mail.
Goodwin’s publicist Beth Laski apparently thinks that “HUMAN EVENTS” is a part of the State Department. When asked whether Goodwin was attending the wedding, Laski responded in one breath:
“Oh, great, I didn’t know if you got my message yesterday. I saw in the newspapers that Doris was invited to the wedding so I called her, and she said ‘I don’t think I’ve been invited.’ But she said she had a pile of mail she hadn’t gone through, so the invite could be in there. So yesterday afternoon I called President Clinton’s office and Secretary of State Clinton’s offices and left the message about whether Doris had been invited. So you got my message?”
“There must be some confusion, I’m a reporter,” I said.
After a pause, Laski asked “Who did you say you write for?”
“HUMAN EVENTS. It’s a newspaper,” I responded.
“Oh. I don’t know if Mrs. Goodwin is attending Chelsea’s wedding,” Laski said robotically before hanging up.
Howard Ickes: Unclear if invited, if so, he hasn’t RSVP’d.
Also confusing HUMAN EVENTS with another entity, Ickes lobbying office asked three times “who are you calling from again?” She said she would have to check and call me back to answer the question “Is Mr. Ickes attending Chelsea Clinton’s wedding?” When I gave her my phone number, she asked “Is that the RSVP line?” Apparently mistaking HUMAN EVENTS for an event planning company, I clarified that I’m asking the question a reporter. She hung up the phone. Ickes was Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House.
Terry McAuliffe: Likely attending.
McAuliffe, Bill Clinton’s BFF, is probably attending, but will not confirm it. When called, his rep Levar Stoney, said “I think he’s attending but I haven’t talked to him about it.” Asked if he could confirm that McAuliffe was invited and attending, Stoney offered to call and ask him directly. He has not responded as of press time.
Barbra Steisand: Won’t respond
Her publicist Dick Guttman said “I don’t know if she’s going.” Asked if the widespread reports that she is attending are correct, he responded, “if I did know, I’d tell everyone, not just you.”
Steven Spielberg: unclear
Spielberg is on vacation now, so his spokesperson, Marvin Levy would only say that “we don’t comment on his personal life.”
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