Reading Room Document

Interpretation of 18 U.S.C. § 603 as it applies to activities in the White House involving the President

This memo examined whether President Carter’s alleged political solicitation of campaign contributions from donors in the White House Family Dining Room fell within the statutory definition of 18 U.S.C. § 603. In particular, it examined whether a room such as the Family Dining Room is one “occupied in the discharge of official duties.” It concluded that rooms in the White House used for privately funded and personal entertainment of guests—as President Carter had done—were not covered by the statute.

January 17, 1979