White House Defends Perks for Top Donors
Updated 3:25 p.m. ET
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs this afternoon told reporters that there is nothing improper about the Obama administration granting to top Democratic donors exclusive access to the White House and high-ranking officials.
Asked if there is a quid pro quo in effect, Gibbs said, "no, of course not."
Echoing an earlier White House statement, he told reporters, "contributing doesn't guarantee a visit to the White House, nor does it preclude it."
"Hundreds of thousands of people have visited this White House since the president came in," he said.
CBS News, working with the Washington Times, reviewed documents from the Democratic National Committee, the fundraising arm of the Democratic Party, that offer access, including in some cases quarterly meetings with senior members of the administration, to people who personally donate $30,400 or raise "$300,000 by the 2010 midterm elections."
The Washington Times story is here, and the full CBS News report will air on tonight's "Evening News."
Read the First DNC Document
Read the Second DNC Document
Gibbs played down reports that donors had been granted access to the White House bowling alley, quipping that his six-year-old son has used it "with the bumpers down." (Later, a White House official told CBS News, "Anybody on White House staff can reserve the bowling Executive Office Building bowling alley. All staff can access the bowling alley and bring guests.") But he was peppered with questions from reporters who wanted to know whether, when it releases a list of every person who has visited the White House, the administration will make clear if donors met with particular presidential advisers.
Gibbs responded that the list – something no administration has provided in the past – "will denote who that person is, when they came, how long they were here, and who they met with."
In an email following the briefing, the White House official told CBS News, "Donor visits will be made public. And this applies to future records – and past records when requested."
As the Times notes in its story, a top donor discussed being given a birthday visit to the Oval Office, while another played golf with the president in August. In addition, a number of donors were invited to a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House at which the fountains were died green.
"Many of the social office events at the White House are funded by private donors, including the DNC, rather than using taxpayer dollars," the White House official told CBS News.
The administration also noted that donors are often also friends of the president in explaining why they had such access.
"Many of the people mentioned in this story have been friends and associates of the Obamas for decades – including college roommates and family friends whose relationships predate and are separate from the President’s career in public service," the White House said in statement. "Given that nearly 4 million Americans donated to the campaign, it’s no surprise that some who contributed have visited the White House as have grassroots organizers who didn’t contribute financial support and people who actively opposed the President’s candidacy."
The past two administrations were also known to offer access to donors. President Bush invited fundraisers to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, while President Clinton granted overnight stays in the White House. But the Obama administration has made a point of saying it is moving away from the sometimes-unseemly ways of Washington, and the news about donor access has left the it on the defensive.
The White House argued it has taken a number of steps when it comes to transparency that exceed previous administrations.
"This Administration has across the board set the toughest ethics standards in history," it said in a statement. "As a result, we have reduced special interest influence over the policymaking process to promote merits-based decision-making. We believe that is due in no small part to our insistence on strict adherence to the rules - an approach we intend to continue."
Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele called for an investigation into the possibility of a quid pro quo and pressed for the release of the names of White House officials "involved in such activities."
"President Obama has turned the White House into a full service resort complete with amenities for the highest Democrat bidder," he said in a statement.
CBS News' investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson contributed reporting to this post.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs this afternoon told reporters that there is nothing improper about the Obama administration granting to top Democratic donors exclusive access to the White House and high-ranking officials.
Asked if there is a quid pro quo in effect, Gibbs said, "no, of course not."
Echoing an earlier White House statement, he told reporters, "contributing doesn't guarantee a visit to the White House, nor does it preclude it."
"Hundreds of thousands of people have visited this White House since the president came in," he said.
CBS News, working with the Washington Times, reviewed documents from the Democratic National Committee, the fundraising arm of the Democratic Party, that offer access, including in some cases quarterly meetings with senior members of the administration, to people who personally donate $30,400 or raise "$300,000 by the 2010 midterm elections."
The Washington Times story is here, and the full CBS News report will air on tonight's "Evening News."
Read the First DNC Document
Read the Second DNC Document
Gibbs played down reports that donors had been granted access to the White House bowling alley, quipping that his six-year-old son has used it "with the bumpers down." (Later, a White House official told CBS News, "Anybody on White House staff can reserve the bowling Executive Office Building bowling alley. All staff can access the bowling alley and bring guests.") But he was peppered with questions from reporters who wanted to know whether, when it releases a list of every person who has visited the White House, the administration will make clear if donors met with particular presidential advisers.
Gibbs responded that the list – something no administration has provided in the past – "will denote who that person is, when they came, how long they were here, and who they met with."
In an email following the briefing, the White House official told CBS News, "Donor visits will be made public. And this applies to future records – and past records when requested."
As the Times notes in its story, a top donor discussed being given a birthday visit to the Oval Office, while another played golf with the president in August. In addition, a number of donors were invited to a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House at which the fountains were died green.
"Many of the social office events at the White House are funded by private donors, including the DNC, rather than using taxpayer dollars," the White House official told CBS News.
The administration also noted that donors are often also friends of the president in explaining why they had such access.
"Many of the people mentioned in this story have been friends and associates of the Obamas for decades – including college roommates and family friends whose relationships predate and are separate from the President’s career in public service," the White House said in statement. "Given that nearly 4 million Americans donated to the campaign, it’s no surprise that some who contributed have visited the White House as have grassroots organizers who didn’t contribute financial support and people who actively opposed the President’s candidacy."
The past two administrations were also known to offer access to donors. President Bush invited fundraisers to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, while President Clinton granted overnight stays in the White House. But the Obama administration has made a point of saying it is moving away from the sometimes-unseemly ways of Washington, and the news about donor access has left the it on the defensive.
The White House argued it has taken a number of steps when it comes to transparency that exceed previous administrations.
"This Administration has across the board set the toughest ethics standards in history," it said in a statement. "As a result, we have reduced special interest influence over the policymaking process to promote merits-based decision-making. We believe that is due in no small part to our insistence on strict adherence to the rules - an approach we intend to continue."
Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele called for an investigation into the possibility of a quid pro quo and pressed for the release of the names of White House officials "involved in such activities."
"President Obama has turned the White House into a full service resort complete with amenities for the highest Democrat bidder," he said in a statement.
CBS News' investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson contributed reporting to this post.
