From: [C reuters] at [clari.net] (Reuters)
Newsgroups: clari.usa.top,clari.usa.gov,clari.usa
Subject: White House Denies Having Sinister Database
Organization: Copyright 1996 by Reuters
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 10:10:25 PDT
Expires: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 10:10:25 PDT
                                         
         WASHINGTON (Reuter) - The White House Thursday denied  
Republican charges that the computer database it used for 
inviting people to social, ceremonial and issue-related events 
had sinister purposes. 
         ``Once again, Republican leaders are shooting first and  
asking questions later,'' said Barry Toiv, a White House 
spokesman. ``To suggest that this is some kind of enemies' list 
is irresponsible.'' 
         House Republicans, seizing a new club to beat the Clinton  
administration, said they were disturbed by a news report that 
the White House had created a computer database on members of 
Congress, the media, campaign contributors and others. 
         The report in the conservative Washington Times Wednesday  
cited confidential internal documents showing that the database 
within the Executive Office of the President was unlike anything 
that had existed under previous presidents. 
         Republicans are already in an uproar that the White House  
personnel security office improperly obtained hundreds of 
sensitive FBI background files, mostly on Republicans who worked 
for previous administrations. 
         Toiv said the database was essentially a list of people who  
have had some contact with the White House or with the Clinton 
family. 
         ``It is used primarily for putting together invitation  
lists, for events at the White House such as ceremonial events 
like state arrivals, and issue-related events such as briefings. 
It's also used for outreach on issues,'' he said. 
         ``The people on the list include those who have expressed an  
interest in a particular issue, who have attended an event at 
the White House, who have received a holiday card from the 
president and first lady, who have been political supporters of 
the president.'' 
         Toiv said members of the media invited to White House events  
would be included but not with any personal information other 
than name, address and professional affiliation. 
         Members of Congress are listed by name, address, party  
affiliation and the list of events to which they were invited at 
the White House, whether they accepted and attended, and the 
holiday cards they receive each year. 
         The Washington Times report said the ``supersecret''  
database system could track such information as military 
records, academic degrees, family ties and addresses, political 
loyalties and whether people were ``important.'' 
         It also could identify whether people were supporters of the  
president, whether they were financial contributors, how they 
felt about issues, what they might want from the administration 
and what the administration had done for them. 
         Toiv said there was nothing secret about the database, known  
by its acronym WHODB, pronounced ``whodebee'' by those familiar 
with it. He estimated about 90 people have access to it, such as 
the social office and the correspondence office. 
         He said previous administrations have had similar lists but  
had not unified them as the Clinton White House did.