Congresswoman under fire for Playboy event

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, a heroine to Democrats only four years ago when she beat a Republican hard-liner, was in hot water Thursday for refusing to cancel a fund raising party at a politically incorrect location-- the Playboy mansion.

Democratic party sources said the party was considering removing her from the Democratic National Committee and canceling her speaking slot at the Democratic Convention unless she backed down and pulled the plug on a fund raising event to benefit Hispanic politicians at the mansion set for Tuesday.

The party's national chairman, Joe Andrew, said in a letter to Sanchez that hosting a party at the Playboy Mansion would send a wrong message to families.

Sanchez, who beat Republican hard-liner Bob Dornan for an Orange County Congressional seat, was not immediately available for comment but had promised to make a statement at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT/2130 GMT).

Mark Fabiani, a spokesman for Vice President Al Gore, said the Democratic presidential candidate had made it clear weeks ago that he did not think the fund raiser at the mansion was a good idea, but Sanchez had persisted with the idea.

"Since then we've bent over backwards at the the Gore campaign to try and find a solution to this," Fabiani told Reuters by telephone from Atlanta. "Unfortunately that hasn't happened. We've reached the end of the line and are now considering our other options."

DNC members would have to vote on Sanchez' removal as general co-chair of the Democratic National Committee, a position she holds together with Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.

A Playboy spokeswoman said the organization was deeply disappointed.

"We are very saddened that it came to this, surprised and saddened. Portraying the mansion as a bad place is really a misinterpretation of what the mansion is," the spokeswoman said.

Spokeswoman Cindy Rakowitz said the mansion is used for a variety of events from corporate parties to political fund-raisers.

Over the years, it has staged events for "Rock the Vote," the National Womens Political Caucus, former Calif. Governor Jerry Brown and Mayor Tom Bradley, both Democrats.

She also noted that Playboy Enterprises CEO Christie Hefner, founder Hugh Hefner's daughter, recently hosted a Democratic Congressional Campaign fundraiser in her Chicago home at which Rhode Island Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy spoke.

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