AllPolitics - News

Gore Pleads Ignorance On Buddhist Fund-Raiser

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AllPolitics, Oct. 22) -- Vice President Al Gore says he didn't know the April event he attended at a Buddhist temple in California was a fund-raiser.

Buddhist temple sign Buddhist temple

"It was not billed as a fund-raiser. It was billed as a community outreach event," Gore told National Public Radio. "And, indeed, no money was offered or collected or raised at that event. But after the fact contributions were sent in."

"As I understand it," Gore said, "after the fact, the contributions came in too soon after the event to say that it was anything other than a event directly tied to that."

"Obviously, somebody didn't handle it right," Gore said. "But the only violation that's been alleged is the fact that the host was not reimbursed for the expenses, which has now been done."

Gore

The Democratic National Committee said it would send the temple $15,000 to cover the costs of the event. But it says it has no plans to return the $140,000 it raised.

The party sponsored the event and asked Gore to attend. One of the DNC's senior fund-raisers, John Huang, organized the event, and has since been relieved of his fund-raising duties.

"I think that people generally understand that when the DNC sets up an event like that, they're the ones responsible for it and some mistakes are going to be made from time to time," Gore said, "and I don't know any more about it than that."

Earlier in the day in Los Angeles, Gore spoke out against California's anti-affirmative action ballot initiative. Proposition 209 would end most affirmative action programs within the state. Gore said of proponents of the measure, "They have to be blind to injustice. They have to be deaf to unfairness. They have to be numb to the lack of opportunity."


Related Stories:

for articles about


AllPolitics home page

[http://Pathfinder.com]

Copyright © 1997 AllPolitics All Rights Reserved
Terms under which this information is provided to you

[http://CNN.com]