National briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2001

Clintons return $28,000 in gifts -- for now

Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday returned $28,000 worth of donated sofas, rugs and other furnishings because it was unclear whether the gifts were meant for them or the White House collection.

"As a result of the questions being asked, the property is being returned to government custody until such time that the issues can be resolved," said Jim McDaniel, the National Park Service's liaison to the White House. "It may well turn out that that property is rightly the personal property of the Clintons. I think those questions have yet to be resolved."

After they were criticized for taking $190,000 worth of china, flatware, rugs, televisions, sofas and other gifts with them when they left, the Clintons announced last week that they would pay for $86,000, or nearly half the amount.

The Park Service and the White House Curator's Office took another look at the gift inventory after $28,000 worth of items the Clintons took were discovered on a list of donations given to the Park Service for the 1993 White House redecoration project. The Washington Post quoted three donors this week as saying that the furnishings they gave were intended for the White House, not the Clintons.

AIDS office will stay open

A chagrined White House reversed itself Wednesday and said President Bush will retain the AIDS policy office established by former President Bill Clinton. But a Clinton-era office on race relations will instead become a working group on "uniting America."

"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House, make no mistake about it," Bush said. "And, ours is an administration that will fight for fair and just laws in the country."

Confusion reigned for a few hours after Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, told USA Today in an interview that both offices would be closed. Card admitted his error in a morning staff meeting.

Also . . .

BAYH TO HEAD DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL: Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana on Wednesday took over the chairmanship of the Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist political organization that has given the Democratic Party its last three presidential tickets.

The move led to speculation Bayh might seek the White House in 2004.

Bayh, 45, succeeds Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Gore's running mate who has served as DLC chairman for the last six years.

SEN. CLINTON STARTS PAC: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has set up a federal political action committee to aid fellow Democrats in their push to take back Congress, a top adviser said Wednesday.

HILLPAC will allow New York's junior senator to contribute to other federal candidates, pay for her political travel across the country and boost her stature with party leaders. The PAC can accept contributions of up to $5,000 from individuals, five times the limit for regular federal campaign committees.

Clinton adviser Harold Ickes, who will serve as the PAC's chairman, dismissed speculation it might be evidence of Clinton's possible interest in a presidential bid.

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