Bush Headlines GOP Fund Raiser

W A S H I N G T O N, May 23 -- As Congress takes another baby step toward passing campaign finance reform, pressure is mounting on both parties to raise as much money as they can before the floodgates are closed.

And Republican donors are coming through for their party — and their president — in spades.

At its annual gala in Washington Tuesday night, the Republican National Committee hoped to to raise $22 million — perhaps more — in unlimited "soft money" contributions, renewing questions about the power of cash in politics. The actual take was $23.9 million, which party officials said was a record.

This comes as Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has agreed to send a ban on such soft money to the House later this week. Soft money is given as a donation to a political party but not designated for a particular candidate.

But it's not the colossal take that's causing all the fuss. (The party raised $20.5 million at the same gala a year ago.) Instead, to the glee of Democrats — who were on the receiving end of scrutiny during years of Clinton/Gore fund-raising scandals — the spotlight is on events before and after the gala that offer big Republican donors access to government property and officials.

Cheney's House

Monday night at his residence, for example, Vice President Dick Cheney hosted an unpublicized reception for roughly 300 of the GOP's biggest donors, all of whom came to town for the gala.

Republican Party officials insisted there was nothing improper about the reception because no money was raised, and because the RNC — not taxpayers — picked up the tab for the event.

Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said the difference is "night and day" when compared to former President Clinton's "donor maintenance" events at the White House.

Also Tuesday night, and in the days following the gala, the Republican Senate campaign committee had planned a dinner at an embassy and a series of "briefings" with Cabinet secretaries for its big donors.