Jean Kennedy Smith, the former U.S. ambassador to Ireland, is fined by the Justice Department for “soliciting a $1 million donation from the Irish prime minister to help fund a program at the Kennedy Center. Smith, who served as ambassador for five years and is a longtime member of the center’s board, violated a federal conflict-of-interest law by making the solicitation in August 1998, near the end of her appointment in Ireland.” – Washington Post 09/23/00