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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I'm not a partisan, but I'm starting to think the Republicans are purposely trying to look like clowns.
Is that the best they have ?!?
like little baby tattle-tales....
pathetic
Suprise another republican that does not know what they are talking about.
Repugs throw constant mud against the wall hoping that eventually some will stick. Paling around with terrorists, birther, college transcripts, 100% responsible for Bush's irresponsible spending – their one and only agenda item is to defeat President Obama. They could care less about the health and future of the american economy. The more ruin they can cause the better for their ultimate agenda and that is to gut existing social programs like medicare and social security.
The Republicans don't give a toot about this country - they just care about POWER.
Ooooh! Ohhhh! Oooooh! Pick me! Pick Meeeee! I wanna be on the winning team! Can this get any more childish?
Priebus is a Bun-Boy!! Getting so sick of the petty accusations. The Conservative Circus has about worn my last wire out.
All the Republican candidates are nuts.
::slaps forehead::
Republicans, please get your ducks in a row. This is ridiculous.
It looks like the GOP is really spending all their time creating jobs and solving the debt problem: Ha Ha! Won't they ever grow up and do the job they were hired to do? No, they just can;t work for the people anymore. All this effort to nit pick at Obama would be laughable if it were children, but these are the people we sent to Washington to work at solving the nations problems. The recent history of Republican accomplishments can be wrapped up in one word: NONE No wonder we are now calling them the Party of Implosion.
Republicans are really sad and desperate. They are so obsessed with Obama bashing they have not focused on real issues for more than 2 years. Where are the jobs Republicans promised? Where is one bill they have introduced for jobs or for restoring the economy? What solutions have they offered to ANY issue?
Republicans are acting like bratty children. They are traitors to the American People and care nothing about the issues facing our nation that they caused. No more Republicans come 2012. We do not need people who do not know how to govern and worse do not know how to lead.
Republicans are destroying our economy intentionally and they are whining about what room President Obama made a video? Will the disrespect and open racism against President Obama ever end by these sleazy Republicans?
RNC = out of ideas, out of touch, completely ridiculous. I would say the same of the DNC if they cried about this of W.
oooohhhhh... I'm telling on you.
This is so childish. Time to sweep the folks currently in the GOP out. Time for a restoration of maturity.
The GOP will stop at nothing. While Bush and Cheney clearly committed major crimes they looked the other way. If Obama pees they call it a crime.
Lets focus on keeping the government on track not this petty sniping.
Anything to delay debt talks. Why do people vote GOP again?
I guess no one ever told Reince Priebus "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Oh wow! This really shows the desperation of the GOP.
This is getting to be just too childish. What goes around ...comes around.
I thought this lacked common sense...go play with your toys. 'nuff said!
What a transparently racist bunch of clowns the GOP are, so sickening.
Wow! the RNC must be really desperate.
This guy is so typical. Petty petty petty.. Bust people for details. Lets put George Bush on trial for MURDER and VOTER FRAUD .. oh no, this goes free. Typical white rich guy, power hungry, no feeling for the working person. Born with a silver spoon up his whatever.
Really? Is this the kind of thing that keeps the RNC up all night? This is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard. Let's not do anything substantive on the economy, let's stick to the inane and irrelevant. Maybe we can create a diversion so somebody will remember my name when they go into a voting booth. Good luck with that.
Seriously? Seriously??? THIS is the issue that the GOP wants to spend time on? With all of our wars, debts, unemployment, etc..., rather than trying to get some legislation passed (or at least to the floor) of the house that in some way addresses the unemployment issue (you know that thing that they campaigned on), they want to have a debate about whether the Map room is part of the residence of the White House. Never mind the fact that this room has been used by a number of Republican presidents for fundraising videos in the last 20 years alone, never mind that they never objected to this use before, never mind that the video is so vague that anyone other than those familiar with the map room would have any idea that this was filmed in the room, is this really something that they feel is worth the time (not to mention the tax payer money) needed to conduct such a Dep't of Justice investigation? Seriously, are they so interested in portraying Obama as a criminal, and so without any legitimate material of attack, that this is the straw they want to grasp at? You know it would be funny if it weren't so sad. I used to have a great deal of respect for the GOP. Regan is one of my heroes. My respect is gone, and I can't help imagine that Regan must be rolling over in his grave!
Well, anything to smear Obama I guess. I wonder what they'll think of next?