Arnold– Knight of the Round Table!

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger staged another fund-raiser yesterday. This one was in the US capital, Washington D.C.

When he campaigned for governor, Schwarzenegger pledged to sweep special interest money out of state politics. Yesterday, at a hotel a stone's throw from the White House, Schwarzenegger continued to pile up special interest checks from corporate donors and lobbyists. But the governor says the money doesn't buy special access.

"Anyone can get access to me. It makes no difference. I visit public places, malls. I go all around the state," Schwarzenegger said.

So what do donors get? According to an invitation obtained by KCRA 3, a check for the legal maximum of $22,300 gave a donor a seat at a private roundtable, four tickets to lunch and a chance to have a picture taken with Schwarzenegger.

Those who could only afford a $5,000 contribution received lunch for one.

In Sacramento , the governor's communications chief, Rob Stutzman, explained that the policy roundtable is for the governor to talk and for donors to listen.

"They get the opportunity to meet him, the opportunity to hear from him, what he's doing in California ," Stutzman said. "But there's not an opportunity for them to specifically lobby him or for them to specifically ask anything. If they do, the meeting is over."

Schwarzenegger's team says he needs special interest money to fight special interests -- in this case, labour unions that are mobilizing to fight his pension, education and spending reforms.

Next Monday, a committee pushing Schwarzenegger's reforms will hold a fund-raiser at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento . Top tickets are priced at $100,000.

Global Arnold Staff