The good guys at Verum Serum make a compelling argument that President Obama’s pitch to go to his website to win a chance for dinner was not, as the White House asserts, filmed in the president’s residence, but was in fact filmed in the Map Room, part of the non-residence portion of the White House, traditionally off-limits for fundraising activities.
Here are two earlier photos of Obama, taping his weekly national addresses in the Map Room, with the distinctive lamp in the background.
Once again, for your visual reference, the message Obama taped:
I see at Verum Serum, folks are already arguing, “big deal,” the traditional last line of defense. But Obama’s staff already conceded that there are legal restrictions on fundraising in parts of the White House; otherwise, the DNC could throw fundraisers on the White House lawn, etc.
Not being an expert on White House decor, I’ll note it’s conceivable there’s some other explanation; perhaps some other room within the residence looks remarkably similar to the Map Room, with the same style lamps, etc. (Having said that, in the video, it looks like there’s a map behind Obama’s left shoulder.)
But if the video was indeed filmed in the Map Room, where Obama tapes his non-campaign messages, the president violated the law and the White House lied about it yesterday.
UPDATE: Matt Cover looks at the White House visitor logs and finds two “Organizing for America” tapings in the Map Room from November 2010, as well. Organizing for America is the former 2008 Obama presidential campaign apparatus, shifted over to the DNC in January 2009.
If taxpayer money is used to pay the wages of TWH chef, isn't it illegal for the president to offer up the chef's services to benefit his personal presidential campaign? Wake up, Darrell Issa!
The Map Room is only occasionally used for business. Regardless, it's part of the Residence and is therefore perfectly fine for use in campaign videos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_Room_(White_House) External Link
It'd be good to get your facts straight before you publish.
If by "Residence" you mean "Executive Residence", then you are correct (in a weaselly way). Why weaselly? The "Executive Residence" is the entire iconic Whitehouse one sees in all the outside views. It includes, for instance, the Oval Office.
The "Executive Residence" (the Whitehouse minus the East and West Wings) has three floors: the Ground Floor, the State Floor, and the second floor. The Map Room is on the Ground Floor next to the Oval Office. The family residence is on the second floor (two floors up).
This is inaccurate - the Map Room is nowhere near the Oval Office. It actually sits next to the Diplomatic Reception Room.
Legally, President Obama is on sound footing here - the Map Room is not part of any tour, is part of the residence, and if he wanted to, he could convert it into anything from a storage closet to a kitchen.
The WH is a mansion that has a lot of rooms most houses don't have. However, all of the rooms outside of the East Wing and West Wing areas are part of the residence, and President Obama is free to use them as he wishes while he is in office. Heck, Calvin Coolidge used that area as a billiards room. If Obama wanted to do the same thing with the room, he could.
I'm not defending the filming of the video from an ethical perspective, merely from a legal one. The ethical question, as I said in another recent post, is open for debate.
The article at Verum Serum lists some of the occasional business uses of the map room:
January 21, 2009: President Obama re-takes the oath of office with Chief Justice Roberts
January 27, 2009: interview with Arab television
February 1, 2009: interview with Matt Lauer
June 19, 2009: interview with Harry Smith from CBS
July 2, 2009: interview with Russian media
February 18, 2010: meeting with the Dalai Lama
March 15, 2011: interviews with KOAT Albuquerque, KDKA Pittsburgh and WVEC Hampton Roads on education reform
April 29, 2011: meeting with sanitation workers from Memphis, TN
And of course, the weekly address. That seems enough to me to be considered a "room occupied in the discharge of official duties."
The matches between the video and the second Map Room photo put this well into beyond-a-reasonable-doubt territory. Left-to-right:
1. Table with thin-stemmed lamp.
2. Framed map (above Obama's left shoulder in video), especially the subject and the map's location relative to the panel moldings,
3. Door in corner.
4. Table with lamp (having a mottled ceramic base).
5. Height of this lamp reaching to just below the map frame on the wall behind it.
6. Red sofa (with the arm just visible in video).
Come on. We all know furniture, lamps and framed photos can be moved. There are probably plenty of rooms that look just like the Map Room in the residence. That's all this is, some redecorating going on in the White House. Or so the Obama defenders will say.
OF COURSE Obama, his administration, the Dem's in the Congress and Senate are lying. It's what they DO! They don't follow the laws of this country because they think the laws don't apply to them.
For instance, close to 800 days with no budget and no budget in sight for the near future. Ignoring the Medicare trigger law. Gun running across the border in Operation Fast and Furious. Ignoring the War Powers Act. There are more but these are the few I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure the rest of you can cite other examples.
What should we expect from a guy that puts law breakers in his Cabinet.
As usual, Jenna hit the nail on the head. If it is no big deal, staffer would have just said, "Sure, we filmed it in the Map Room." As they say, it is not the crime it is the coverup.
The next position they stake out will be: it was filmed in a full mock up of the Map Room constructed inside the Residence. Construction started today.
d(^_^)b External Link
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"
If taxpayer money is used to pay the wages of TWH chef, isn't it illegal for the president to offer up the chef's services to benefit his personal presidential campaign? Wake up, Darrell Issa!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Map Room is only occasionally used for business. Regardless, it's part of the Residence and is therefore perfectly fine for use in campaign videos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_Room_(White_House)
External Link
It'd be good to get your facts straight before you publish.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf by "Residence" you mean "Executive Residence", then you are correct (in a weaselly way). Why weaselly? The "Executive Residence" is the entire iconic Whitehouse one sees in all the outside views. It includes, for instance, the Oval Office.
The "Executive Residence" (the Whitehouse minus the East and West Wings) has three floors: the Ground Floor, the State Floor, and the second floor. The Map Room is on the Ground Floor next to the Oval Office. The family residence is on the second floor (two floors up).
Hence, weaselly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is inaccurate - the Map Room is nowhere near the Oval Office. It actually sits next to the Diplomatic Reception Room.
Legally, President Obama is on sound footing here - the Map Room is not part of any tour, is part of the residence, and if he wanted to, he could convert it into anything from a storage closet to a kitchen.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRight next to the "Diplomatic Reception Room" you say?
I've got one of those in my "residence" too -- our "Diplomatic Reception Room" is right between the "living room" and the "kitchen."
(Doesn't sound like it's in the "residence" part of the building really, now does it?)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe WH is a mansion that has a lot of rooms most houses don't have. However, all of the rooms outside of the East Wing and West Wing areas are part of the residence, and President Obama is free to use them as he wishes while he is in office. Heck, Calvin Coolidge used that area as a billiards room. If Obama wanted to do the same thing with the room, he could.
I'm not defending the filming of the video from an ethical perspective, merely from a legal one. The ethical question, as I said in another recent post, is open for debate.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe article at Verum Serum lists some of the occasional business uses of the map room:
January 21, 2009: President Obama re-takes the oath of office with Chief Justice Roberts
January 27, 2009: interview with Arab television
February 1, 2009: interview with Matt Lauer
June 19, 2009: interview with Harry Smith from CBS
July 2, 2009: interview with Russian media
February 18, 2010: meeting with the Dalai Lama
March 15, 2011: interviews with KOAT Albuquerque, KDKA Pittsburgh and WVEC Hampton Roads on education reform
April 29, 2011: meeting with sanitation workers from Memphis, TN
And of course, the weekly address. That seems enough to me to be considered a "room occupied in the discharge of official duties."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe matches between the video and the second Map Room photo put this well into beyond-a-reasonable-doubt territory. Left-to-right:
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse1. Table with thin-stemmed lamp.
2. Framed map (above Obama's left shoulder in video), especially the subject and the map's location relative to the panel moldings,
3. Door in corner.
4. Table with lamp (having a mottled ceramic base).
5. Height of this lamp reaching to just below the map frame on the wall behind it.
6. Red sofa (with the arm just visible in video).
Come on. We all know furniture, lamps and framed photos can be moved. There are probably plenty of rooms that look just like the Map Room in the residence. That's all this is, some redecorating going on in the White House. Or so the Obama defenders will say.
OF COURSE Obama, his administration, the Dem's in the Congress and Senate are lying. It's what they DO! They don't follow the laws of this country because they think the laws don't apply to them.
For instance, close to 800 days with no budget and no budget in sight for the near future. Ignoring the Medicare trigger law. Gun running across the border in Operation Fast and Furious. Ignoring the War Powers Act. There are more but these are the few I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure the rest of you can cite other examples.
What should we expect from a guy that puts law breakers in his Cabinet.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf there's one lesson President Obama has taught and taught well it's "rules are for thee, not for me."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe pertinent question is, who has legal standing to file a complaint which will lead to an investigation/finding?
Somehow I don't think the FEC will do anything unless they get a nudge. Would/could congress do it? Time to start a public letter-writing campaign?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf it's no big deal, why did Obama staffers lie about where the ad was filmed?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs usual, Jenna hit the nail on the head. If it is no big deal, staffer would have just said, "Sure, we filmed it in the Map Room." As they say, it is not the crime it is the coverup.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe next position they stake out will be: it was filmed in a full mock up of the Map Room constructed inside the Residence. Construction started today.
d(^_^)b
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseExternal Link
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"