The party of family values.

The latest scandal to dog the Republican National Committee—a $1,946 tab at the Los Angeles club Voyeur in February, first reported Monday by the Daily Caller—is tame by Washington standards and far from the electoral fodder some Democrats are making it out to be. Even under the worst-case scenario for Republicans, all they lose is a party chairman widely viewed as a failure.

That said, the details make for juicy copy. A young Republican donor group called the Young Eagles organized a fundraiser at the Beverly Hills Hilton on Jan. 31. After the event, a group that included RNC staffers decamped to Voyeur. When the credit card of Young Eagles director Allison Meyers was declined, a California donor named Erik Brown offered his and later asked to be reimbursed by the RNC. The Daily Caller spotted the reimbursement in the committee’s monthly FEC report. Meyers was fired from the RNC on Monday.

Voyeur was described in a recent Los Angeles Times write-up as “reminiscent of the masked orgy scene” in Eyes Wide Shut, complete with “impromptu bondage and S&M ‘scenes’ being played out on an elevated platform by scantily clad performers throughout the night.” A reviewer for the Web site Yelp described watching “two girls simulating oral sex in a glass case.”

The scandal also plays into the narrative that RNC Chairman Michael Steele has no idea what he’s doing. Steele has faded into the background in recent months after a series of embarrassing statements, including using the phrases “honest Injun” and “flipping the bird.” In an interview with GQ, he said abortion was an “individual choice.” And his promise to give the GOP an “off the hook,” “hip-hop” makeover—not to mention a series of photos of Steele following through on that promise—has been widely mocked.

That said, the bondage flap doesn’t have the makings of a lasting scandal—so far, at least. For one thing, it appears that Steele didn’t attend the event and didn’t know about the reimbursement. Others might have known: The Daily Caller reported Tuesday that two top RNC officials may have had to approve the reimbursements for the nightclub, in which case consent would run far up the chain of command. And Steele is, of course, responsible for what happens under his watch. But he’s far enough from the center of the storm that he can plausibly plead ignorance.