-Caveat Lector-
ABCNEWS� Eileen Murphy and Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
An Unusual Fund-Raiser
In this political season, President Clinton�s appearance at a
fundraising event, even one for his wife, isn�t likely to attract
much attention from the press.
But a fundraiser the president attended in Philadelphia today was
noteworthy in one respect: it took place on federal property.
Generally, politicians avoid soliciting funds in federal
buildings because of the Pendleton Act, a federal law that
restricts fundraising by government officials. In the event at
the City Tavern, President Clinton stressed that his wife needs
so-called hard money donations of $1000 or $2000 from people that
haven�t yet supported her Senate campaign.
�If you can help Hillary with some more of these contributions,
if you know anybody that hasn�t made one, may be willing to make
a modest contribution to her campaign, it could make a big
difference to her,� the president said. �I�ll be profoundly
grateful.�
A printed handout distributed to reporters by the White House
described the brunch as a �prospecting event� at which guests
would be treated to quiche, turkey turnovers and duck sausage.
�The event is designed to seek out individuals who would be
willing to contribute to New York Senate 2000 at a later date,�
the flyer said.
However, White House spokesman Jake Siewert later confirmed that
the gathering was actually a fundraiser. About 60 people attended
the brunch, giving a total of $50,000 to support Mrs. Clinton�s
race, he said. The first lady was not present.
�Its a privately owned establishment and its been the site of
numerous fundraisers,� said Cathie Levine, a spokesperson for the
Clinton campaign.
According to the National Park Service, the City Tavern is a
replica of an 18th-century pub that John Adams once referred to
as �the most genteel tavern.� Today, the tavern offers lunch and
dinner from a kitchen run by restauranteur Walter Staib under a
contract with the Park Service. The building and land are owned
by the federal government and considered part of the Independence
National Historical Park. Several park rangers stood guard as
the president arrived for the brunch just before noon Sunday.
Park Service spokesman Phil Sheridan said the legal question had
come up during planning for the brunch, but that government
lawyers determined it wasn�t a problem.
�We actually did talk with our attorneys as to whether all that
was feasible to do,� he said. Sheridan said they concluded that
because the Park Service has turned over operation of the tavern
to Staib�s company, the Pendleton Act doesn�t apply. �The key
was it was a concession,� Sheridan said.
The actual language of the Pendleton Act, which has been amended
several times since its enactment in 1883, bars fundraising in
any �building occupied in the discharge of official duties.�
The law received considerable attention after it was revealed
that Vice President Al Gore made fundraising calls from his White
House office. Gore aides defended his actions by saying that the
law was only intended to cover solicitations of government
employees by their bosses. They also argued that the type of
contributions he was asking for were not covered by federal
election law.
TV cameras and still photographers usually record the president�s
remarks at political fundraisers in restaurants but late last
week the White House announced that coverage of the City Tavern
event would be limited to a couple of newspaper reporters. An
official said that only 30 people were expected to attend the
brunch and that Press Secretary Joe Lockhart had decided that
camera coverage was not appropriate for an event of that size.
�Josh Gerstein, ABCNEWS
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