Washington (CNN)-It's never too early to play hardball presidential politics. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus penned a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for an investigation of an "apparent crime" committed by President Barack Obama Monday.
According to Priebus, the crime was committed by the president, in the Map Room, with a video.
Priebus accused the president of recording a fundraising appeal in the Map Room of the White House. He said it is "not part of the White House residence, but rather 'occupied in the discharge of official duties,'" and called for the Department of Justice to investigate.
The Map Room is located on the ground floor of the White House.
"According to multiple individuals with knowledge of the White House's rooms and layout, the video appears to have been recorded in the Map Room...the White House Counsel has indicated that the video was filmed somewhere in the residential portion of the White House," Priebus said.
It is illegal to solicit contributions for a political purpose from any area of the White House "occupied in the discharge of official duties," or, used for purposes of official White House business.
But the Map Room is considered to be part of the White House residence, and has been for decades. The residence is not subject to restrictions placed on rooms used for official business.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz told CNN, "As we've said in the past, this was wholly appropriate and routinely done in past administrations."
"Many lawyers and experts have all said publicly that what this administration is doing is completely above board," Schultz fired back.
Despite the RNC's claims, both Republican and Democratic administrations have considered the Map Room as part of the White House residence.
From CNN Politics
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Amazing how these guys try to destroy President Obama at any cost (referring to the US) to look good, moral and for the people. Seriously, this is ugly!! You might want to take a self-inventory and see what is the root of your evil.
It's time for BHO to explain himself. Oh wait ... he doesn't have to:
"No controlling legal authority" – Albert Gore, Jr.
Campaigning in and from the White House has been standard behavior for Dems for how long?
Too Long
~(Ä)~
What is up the repubs. Looks to me like they're grasping at straws. All they're trying to do is deflect the attention of how the american people are feeling about their handling of these debt talks. I truly believe the majority of us are smarter than that.
This is not a frivolous law suit tho it is worth our tax dollars to sue the president of the united states
Can you imagine the hell that would be raised by the RNC if someone had complained about Bush doing such a thing?
"Haven't all these 'good christian' rethugs ever heard of the Commandment that says 'thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor????"
Sorry, but Republicans read the Bible just like the read the Constitution: selectively.
As it says in the article, the Map Room is part of the residence, and things like this have been routinely done in past administrations. So why is this idiot now trying to bring charges? Could it possibly be because this president doesn't look like the previous presidents? Do we have a double-standard in the presidency now? After seeing all that's gone on in the past 2-1/2 years, I would guess so.
Reince Priebus, get a life and stop wasting our time! You're supposed to be raising money for your sad sack of GOP candidates!
I'm glad this yo-yo left Wisconsin and became the chair of the RNC. That is a big plus for Democrats. What partisan nonsense!
"A fowl" in the Whitehouse basement. Is that a chicken ??? A Crow ???? A buzzard ???? How did that conser sneak in ????? Fly in ?????
Clinton did it, Bush did it, . . . but Obama? . . . now that's different. . .
Reading between the lines, we (the GOP) are getting our butts handed to us in the debt ceiling fiasco, time to dangle a shiny object in front of the American people to distract them from our failures...
I bet Rupert Murdock could get to the bottom of it.
Wow, way to keep the GOP focused like a laser on JOBS, JOBS, JOBS...
Enuff of the Republican and Tea Party deliberate intent to do harm to the middle class and the american way of life.......they should be booted out of office for malfeasance..
This is the best the GOP can do? Really sad. Rush needs to spank this guy for looking so wimpy.
30 years of tax cuts for special interests. Fullysupportingthe destruction of the middle class. Holding the aged, poor and weak hostage to protect the super wealthy but lets not look there.. no lets talk about a video in the map room. Personally I would like to look once again at why we were led into two wars (without funding). Sen. Mitch McConnell indicated his number one priority is to insure Pres Obama is not re-elected... rather than create jobs and this little trial ballon of theirs is going nowhere. Another example of how the GOP will do and say anything... American's have had enough propaganda and can see through the smoke... The GOP are true haters of the working men and women of America. They are determined to turn America into another Mexico with their policies and practices. Shame on all of them.
thats all these clowns can come up with. move along
In this time in history, when both sides of the aisle should be reaching out to try to fix the HUGE issues that concern our country, I hope people are taking notice of those people who are not. I hope that childish behavior such as this is fully rewarded when election time comes. I would hate to be the person looking for people to vote for me and having childish behavior available for the other side to point to and use against them. People need to wake up....no matter which side of the aisle these people are on....they are supposed to be working for us and for the BETTERMENT of our country. This man is not the only one who seems totally out of focus and petty. There are days that I think decisions are made in Washington without our best interests in mind, but made because of who can be irritated the most on the other side. Wake up! You should be ashamed for making this your focal interest right now. WE pay all of you to do the right thing for the rest of us. Now do your jobs. Stop acting like spoiled children and get in there and make compromises like we teach OUR children to do. Make some hard decisions like adults. We should all understand that whatever happens to help us is going to hurt us all a bit. WE didn't all get us in this place, but if we wish to continue in this country as we have been then people have to learn to give in and help get us out and make the people who got us here accountable.
If that's the best the RNC has, they have all ready lost the next election. What a bunch of winers!! would you like some cheese with that wine!! Its a shame that the RNC is being held hostage by Norquist and the Tea Party.. We would have a budget deal doen and passed by now if not for them.. Way to go RNC let a small minority run the country in to default....
This picture reminds me of Hitler.
...grasping at straws.... Why do these Republicans have a different standard for Obama than they've had for other presidents in the past both Democratic and Republican? What could it be.......???? We see you GOP – we see what you're all about and it sure isn't to help Americans or America.
When are politicians going to grow up!!!!
most of your arguments are ridiculous, uneducated and aburd. If it is illegal, it is illegal. Let investigators determine if the room is "in the white house" or not. If it was used for swearing in the President of the U.S. I would say it is.
Didn't anyone from the party that this twit chairs, tell him not to waste taxpayer dollars? Oh, I missed the small print: "political witch hunts excluded".
I appreciate the "crime was committed by the president, in the Map Room, with a video" reference to the game, Clue, as usually Obama is clueless about what to do on an issue other than roll out another campaign speech promising "hope and change."