The biggest surprise among the intellectual elite at the East Hampton Library fund-raiser — co-sponsored by liberal Alec Baldwin — on Saturday afternoon was the conservative triumvirate of Rand Paul, Bill O’Reilly and George Pataki, who all showed up as guests.
While Hillary Clinton was at a fund-raiser for the Clinton Foundation in nearby Water Mill, collecting up to $50,000 per couple, Sen. Paul (R-Ky.) was schmoozing for free and getting tips on where to go in Montauk for a lobster roll.
When informed that Gosman’s Dock — recommended by O’Reilly — was avoided by the locals, who prefer Duryea’s, Paul said, “I can’t believe O’Reilly was sending me to a tourist trap.” Both men are friends of novelist Nelson DeMille, who was signing copies of “The Quest.”
Pataki, the former governor, came with his daughter Allison, who was inscribing her best seller, “The Traitor’s Wife.”
Baldwin, whose foundation co-sponsors the annual event, told me his military style haircut is for his role as the CIA spymaster supervising Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible 5.”
Bob Colacello rushed in late to buy a copy of Aerin Lauder’s coffee-table book, “Beauty at Home.”
Once Michael Shnayerson signed the last copy of his tome, “The Big Book of the Hamptons,” he said, “Good! Now I can go to my pre-wedding party.” The author married Gayfryd Steinberg on Sunday.
Other authors under the tent included Robert A. Caro, Lee Grant, Dick Cavett and Henry Bushkin.