President Biden was warned last year to keep his major donors out of the Oval Office out of concern that exclusive tours of his office might violate federal law, according to a report.
The warning came from the White House Counsel’s office, and Biden, 81, has since stopped giving Oval Office access to his benefactors — however, he continues to dine and chat with them in other rooms in the Executive Mansion, according to Axios.
“It is typical for any president, regardless of party, to host supporters at the White House complex, which is a work office as well as a private residence,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told the outlet.
“President Biden and his team take all the rules of the White House and re-election seriously, and we’re proud of that,” he added.
President Biden was warned last year to keep VIP donors out of the Oval Office. Shutterstock
The Hatch Act, enacted in 1939, prohibited executive branch employees from using “official power or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the results of elections” and collecting funds in federal buildings.
The president and vice president, however, are exempt from the law.
Biden has held about half a dozen private meetings with groups of donors and supporters since his re-election campaign officially launched last April, according to the Washington Post.
The private lunches and dinners, hosted by entertainment mogul and Biden campaign co-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, were aimed at reassuring donors about the president’s re-election prospects amid concerns about his age and stamina, the outlet notes.
Jeffrey Katzenberg has organized a series of private meetings for Biden’s re-election effort. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
The White House Counsel’s Office has limited gatherings to the White House map room, the old family dining room and the tennis court pavilion — areas that are not official workspaces — and donors are not asked to contribute to the campaign during their visits to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
At least four Biden administration officials have been found to have violated the Hatch Act, including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and former chief of staff Ron Klain, since the president took office.
Thirteen officials, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, were found to have violated ethics laws during former President Donald Trump’s term in the White House.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
