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Officials List Gifts from Foreign Governments

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Jul 05, 2006 at 12:07:56 PM EST
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Government officials must report gifts from foreign governments. The Washington Post details some today. George Tenet made out pretty well while working for the CIA. In some cases, the gifts were turned over to the GSA or the CIA. The Post outlines the rules for keeping gifts from foreign governments. Here are some tidbits of who got what:

Italian President Silvio Berlusconi gave $540 in silk ties to senior presidential adviser Karl Rove on June 4, 2004. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) received a Versace leather wallet and purse from Shobha Oza, secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress in July 2004. (The purse and wallet were turned over to the secretary of the Senate.) Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, gave the New York senator a rug -- value unknown -- that is displayed in her office.

Shortly before Christmas 2004, King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan gave Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld an "aromatherapy gift set" valued at $380. It may never be known if the collection of scents soothed the secretary's nerves; the gift was turned over to the General Services Administration.

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    Officials List Gifts from Foreign Governments | 1 comment (1 topical)
    Re: Officials List Gifts from Foreign Governments (none / 0) (#1)
    by HK on Wed Jul 05, 2006 at 02:49:06 PM EST
    Gifts made to govt officials are almost invariably hollow, sycophantic, politically-motivated gestures at best and bribes at worst. It makes me sick that this happens when there are worthy charities, like those who support the poor in these officials' own countries, that could benefit from the value of such gifts.

    Officials List Gifts from Foreign Governments | 1 comment (1 topical)