Politics Section Special Reports

From The Post Campaign Finance Reform's Fortunes Rise, Fall (Oct. 24) Panel Can't Crack Mystery of Memo's Missing Page (Oct. 24) Records Show Clinton Calls to Donors Associated Press Friday, October 24, 1997; Page A09 In fresh evidence that President Clinton made fund-raising calls from the White House, presidential aides have found long-distance billing records for calls to six donors from his private living quarters and one Oval Office call to a group of fund-raisers. In the latter, a memo shows Clinton had been asked to call a group of New York fund-raisers in October 1995 to "ask for their help" and thank them for organizing a major fund-raiser for his reelection campaign. "New York has the potential to raise more money than any other city in this country and the hard work of the co-chairs for the next six days is critical to achieving that," Clinton-Gore fund-raiser Terence R. McAuliffe wrote in an Oct. 30, 1995, memo stamped "the president has seen." The memo stated the call's purpose was to "thank the New York co-chairs for their efforts and ask for their help in the final six days." Presidential aides said they believe the call was made from the Oval Office but that it lasted only three minutes and Clinton only thanked the fund-raisers and did not ask for help. "We are confident that all of the president's fund-raising activities, including any calls he may have made, were proper and legal," White House special counsel Lanny J. Davis said yesterday. Federal law generally bars federal officials from soliciting donations on federal property, although the White House argues it does not believe that law applies to calls made from an office to a donor outside. Clinton has said he cannot remember making any phone solicitations but that it was possible. © Copyright 1997 The Associated Press Back to the top Go to Campaign Finance Report | Go to Politics Section