TalkUpstate and the prep sports section are temporarily offline. The Bush administration is resurrecting the ugly specter of White House coffees with high-dollar political donors. The donors were brought to Washington to call other Republican donors and ask for contributions. Bush administration officials defended the meeting, saying no discussion of fund raising took place in Thompson's office.
Federal law prohibits the use of government offices for political fund raising.
But just because it's legal doesn't make it appropriate. The nation just got rid of an administration that rented out the Lincoln bedroom in the White House to political donors and treated other contributors to exclusive White House coffees with administration officials. Republicans criticized Clinton and his staff for selling access to administration officials for large contributions. Now, they're starting to do the same thing. President Bush promised to restore honor and dignity to the White House.