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WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department directed career employees to analyze tax ideas proposed by presidential candidate John Kerry and other Democrats after a request from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, officials said Wednesday.
The Republican National Committee posted an interactive feature on its Web site that attaches the largest of those cost estimates to Kerry's plan to raise taxes paid by the wealthiest taxpayers.
Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said he was not aware of anyone at the White House approving the Treasury's decision to analyze Kerry's tax plan.
Although federal law bans civil servants from working on political campaigns while on duty, Treasury Department attorneys concluded the work was appropriate, Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said.
"That's a core functionality of the department," Nichols said.
The Treasury Department posted the analysis on its Web site March 22.
DeLay requested the cost analysis to better counter Democratic attempts to amend budget and tax legislation with tax increases on higher-income taxpayers, DeLay spokesman Stuart Roy said.
A group of Republicans had considered using the results to assemble a "Kerry budget" for debate during last week's deliberations, he said.
Democrats said the Treasury Department used their civil servants inappropriately.