Los
Angeles(Reuters):
Concerned
about
politicizing
her
favorite
charity,
singer-actress
Jessica
Simpson
turned
down
a
invitation
to
meet
with
US
President
George
W
Bush,
a
snub
that
left
Republicans
dismayed.The
apparent
final
word
that
Simpson
would
be
a
no-show
at
a
major
Republican
fund-raiser
with
Bush
and
congressional
leaders
tonight
came
after
a
day
of
conflicting
reports
from
her
camp
and
organizers
of
the
event.
The
blond
star
of
the
film
''The
Dukes
of
Hazzard''
still
plans
to
visit
Washington
on
Thursday
to
lobby
members
of
Congress
on
behalf
of
Operation
Smile,
a
non-profit
venture
offering
free
plastic
surgery
for
disadvantaged
children
overseas
with
facial
deformities.People
close
to
Simpson
said
she
declined
a
request
to
appear
that
same
evening
at
the
gala
fund-raiser
of
the
National
Republican
Congressional
Committee
--
even
after
she
was
offered
some
private
face
time
with
Bush
--
because
Operation
Smile
is
a
non-partisan
group.
''It
just
feels
wrong,''
one
Simpson
insider
told
Reuters
yesterday,
adding
that
the
actress
keeps
her
political
views
private.
''She
would
love
to
meet
the
president
and
talk
about
Operation
Smile
...
but
she
can't
do
it
at
a
fund-raiser
for
the
Republican
Party.''
NRCC
spokesman
Carl
Forti
said
he
was
surprised
at
Simpson's
position.
''It's
never
been
a
problem
for
Bono,''
he
said,
referring
to
the
U2
rock
star
who
has
met
regularly
with
political
leaders
of
all
stripes
to
promote
various
causes,
including
Third
World
debt
relief.
''I
find
it
hard
to
believe
she
would
pass
up
an
opportunity
to
lobby
the
president
on
behalf
of
Operation
Smile.''
Although
Simpson's
publicists
insisted
she
never
had
planned
to
attend
the
fund-raiser,
Forti
said
the
actress
initially
accepted
the
NRCC
invitation
when
it
was
extended
on
Tuesday
night,
only
to
change
her
mind
the
next
evening.
Forti
said
the
Republican
group
had
even
arranged
for
Simpson
to
dine
at
one
of
the
head
tables
with
US
House
of
Representatives
Majority
Leader
John
Boehner,
an
Ohio
Republican.
The
NRCC
hopes
the
2,500-per-plate
dinner
event
will
raise
7.5
million
dollars
for
Republican
candidates
in
the
congressional
midterm
elections
in
November.
Simpson,
25,
a
Texas
native
who
started
out
singing
in
her
church
choir,
became
a
star
on
the
Christian
music
circuit
as
a
teenager
and
crossed
over
to
the
pop
mainstream
with
her
major-label
debut
album
''Sweet
Kisses''
in
1999.
She
became
an
overnight
MTV
sensation
in
2003
as
co-star
of
a
reality
show
chronicling
her
first
year
of
wedlock
with
fellow
pop
vocalist
Nick
Lachey,
but
she
filed
for
divorce
in
December
after
three
stormy
years
of
marriage.
Simpson
is
currently
featured
wearing
cowboy
boots
and
hot
pants
in
a
TV
pizza
ad.