According to a recent report, President Joe Biden was advised by White House Counsel to refrain from having his big donors in the Oval Office for tours.
The report from Axios cites people familiar with the matter who say that the president has been hosting donors inside the White House residence for private meals and briefings, hoping to show them he has a plan to beat former President Donald Trump.
The intimate gatherings are organized by campaign and co-chair Democratic Mega Donor Jeffrey Katzenberg, according to The Washington Post.
White House Counsel shared with the president that taking donors on tours of the Oval Office may raise legal issues.
Despite the warnings, Biden is expected to continue having guests to the White House for exclusive briefings and meals, but they must occur under set conditions, Axios reported.
In order to comply with ethics laws, the donors are not directly solicited for their donations while at the White House events. Events are also required to take place in either the White House map room, the tennis pavilion, or the old family dining room.
White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates spoke with Axios about the lunches, sharing that hosting supporters isn’t anything new to President Biden.
“It is typical for any president, regardless of party, to host supporters at the White House complex, which is both a working office as well as a personal residence,” Bates said.
Kedric Payne, ethics director at the Campaign Legal Center, also shared that the actions of the president are legal.
“The president is allowed to legally meet with and entertain donors at the White House,” Payne said. “But you cannot give campaign contributions or solicit for campaign contributions while in the White House.”