People communicate with one another on the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum WEF Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023.
Lian Yi | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
DAVOS, Switzerland – U.S. lawmakers quietly took part in a personal ritzy lunch atop the World Economic Forum on Monday featuring dozens of influential business leaders, in line with individuals with direct knowledge of the matter.
Lawmakers in attendance included members of the U.S. congressional delegation participating within the annual confab for the elite and wealthy in Davos, including Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Chris Coons, D-Del., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. and a number of members of the House of Representatives, these people explained. Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also attended the event, considered one of the people said.
Coons, Manchin, Sinema and Kemp are among the many U.S.-based officials scheduled to participate in panel sessions at this yr’s conference. These private events on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum often function meet-and-greets between CEOs, billionaires and government officials.
Coons and Manchin each individually addressed the group of corporate leaders on the lunch, said an attendee, who declined to be identified speaking about a personal gathering.
Coons discussed U.S. aid being given to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion while Manchin, who’s the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called for American energy independence, this person noted. Congress passed $40 billion in additional aid for Ukraine last yr.
The private lunch was held on the Hotel Schatzalp, which is primarily accessible by riding a funicular, or tram, up the property, those with knowledge of the gathering explained. An attendee said the gathering took place on the hotel’s Belle Epoque restaurant, with salmon and a beef dish served to participants.
The business leaders got here from a wide selection of backgrounds, including the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Antonio Neri, Klaus Schwab, the chief chairman of the World Economic Forum and the heads of quite a lot of non-governmental organizations, amongst others, this attendee said.
Coons told CNBC on the sidelines before the lunch that members of the congressional delegation were heading to the lunch “with about 50 CEOs.” He didn’t say which executives were scheduled to attend.
A Hewlett Packard Enterprise representative confirmed Neri’s attendance. Representatives for the lawmakers mentioned on this story didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
The Hotel Schatzalp first opened as a luxury sanatorium for wealthy clients in 1900 by Dutch entrepreneur Willem Jan Holsboer, in line with the property’s website.
The trendy Art Nouveau structure, perched above Europe’s highest town at 1900 meters above sea level, was converted right into a hotel in 1953.
Members of the U.S. congressional delegation in Davos, Switzerland for World Economic Forum
Brian Schwartz | CNBC
