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Steve Bing Pays $200K for Clinton Korea Trip

by candice.tsuei | August 5, 2009 at 01:42 pm

4046 views | 24 Recommendations | 10 comments

Steve Bing, a wealthy Hollywood mogul and a friend of Bill Clinton, supplied the plane to bring Clinton and the two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, home, and paid an estimated $200,000 for Clinton's North Korea round-trip flight.

Bing, a real estate heir and the owner of Shangri-La Entertainment, will pay an estimated $200,000 for the round-trip flight, said Marc Foulkrod, the chairman and CEO of Avjet, the charter company that operates Bing's plane, a Boeing 737.

According to Foulkrod, the Federal Aviation Administration "at the highest levels" cleared the flight plan, because U.S. planes are not allowed to be in North Korea.

Bing was a multimillion-dollar donor to pro-Democratic groups that ran ads against Republican President George W. Bush in the 2004 campaign. He also donated at least $5 million to pay for a new Democratic National Committee headquarters in 2002, when Clinton loyalist Terry McAuliffe headed the party.

Being a movie producer, Bing has had his name linked to supermodel Elizabeth Hurley, with whom he had a child. In 2002, Bing agreed to make an annual payment of $158,000 to their son, Damian, until he turned 18. Bing has also been rumored to have dated Nicole Kidman and Sheryl Crow.

Bing produced "Shine A Light," a 2008 Martin Scorcese documentary of a Rolling Stones performance filmed at Bill Clinton's 60th birthday party in New York. He also produced the film "Beowulf" (2007) and financed the film "The Polar Express" (2004).

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158

at 13:51 on August 5th, 2009

Interesting.

I had not heard of this.

eastvanray

at 15:21 on August 5th, 2009

$200,000 for a return flight to N. Korea? That is about 12,000 milles round trip from the US east coast. It seems a little high to me.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 15:58 on August 5th, 2009

It could add up if you include all the Secret Service Staff

eastvanray

at 16:17 on August 5th, 2009

And the hookers and coke for Billy Jeff!

Pythiian1

at 18:00 on August 5th, 2009

It must have been some trip for the US civilian pilots to enter NK airspace.

CreoleLeo (not verified)

at 11:53 on August 6th, 2009

This is what makes America great! People with money who know that it takes all of us together to stay the America we have all grown to love and respect. Thank you so much, Mr. Bing.

kim McKibben (not verified)

at 13:56 on August 6th, 2009

Thank you Mr. Bing. It is refreshing to know that those who have money are not always afraid to open their hands and give some of it away for the right reasons.
Blessings and Light,
Kim

steve clayton (not verified)

at 14:46 on August 6th, 2009

Mr. Bing...Thumbs up to you for this gesture, Now do something to get this crazy administration from ruining our country in which you help bring these 2 back to,