Lincoln Bedroom Fundraising Scandal Reveals White House Donor Access Program

Documents revealed in February 1997 show that President Bill Clinton and top aides orchestrated a broad fundraising operation during his first term, explicitly using overnight stays in the White House Lincoln Bedroom and other perks to woo and reward major donors. President Clinton personally endorsed the strategy, writing in a handwritten note: “Ready to start overnights right away.” The Clinton administration’s released records showed that 938 guests stayed at the White House during Clinton’s first term, dwarfing the 284 who stayed during the previous Bush administration.

During 1995-96, overnight guests at the White House contributed approximately $5.4 million to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), with 24 donors giving over $100,000 each. Forty-nine overnight stayers contributed a total of $4.1 million to the DNC for the 1996 elections. The operation also included White House “coffees” with the President, where guests donated a total of $28 million to the DNC using “soft money” loopholes in campaign finance laws—contributions to party organizations rather than directly to candidates, which faced fewer restrictions at the time.

While federal law prohibits using government property for fundraising, the Democratic members of the investigating committee found “no evidence of a systematic scheme to trade overnight visits at the White House for campaign contributions.” President Clinton defended the practice in February 1997, stating “I did not have any strangers here. The Lincoln Bedroom was never sold.” However, the scandal exemplifies how wealthy donors gained special access to the nation’s highest elected official through political contributions, raising fundamental questions about the influence of money in politics and the commercialization of public office.