White House Denies Giving Perks to Donors

White House officials are engaging in damage control after GOP Chairman Michael Steele accused the Obama administration of offering selected donors perks in exchange for big contributions. Steele’s charges stem from a Washington Times report today claiming that DNC contributors who give $30,400 or bundle $300,000 get inappropriate access to policymakers. He wants an investigation.

The story also says big donors get trips to the White House bowling alley and movie theater. Administration officials say the trips organized by the DNC are part of normal “donor maintenance” and that the arrangement is not a quid pro quo. "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," says a White House spokesman.
(More Obama administration stories.)