White House blames 'error' after Biden campaign fundraising page linked on .gov website
Biden campaign page linked from .gov site solicits donations in a way generally considered improper to be connected to official gov't site
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House said Thursday that a link to a page on the Biden campaign website in the WhiteHouse.gov fact sheet for the president's $2 trillion-plus spending plan was put there in error.
The link was included on the words "more likely" deep in the body of the 25-page document. The line where it was included said, "People of color and low-income people are more likely to live in areas most vulnerable to flooding and other climate change-related weather events." The link was eventually taken down.
Those who clicked on the link were taken to a page on "clean energy" and "environmental justice" on the "JoeBiden.com" website, which also said people of color are at higher risk due to weather events. The link was included in a way often done on web pages to bolster factual claims.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But the page also prominently solicits donations in a way that is generally considered improper to be connected to an official government website.
BIDEN'S $2T SPENDING PLAN, BILLED AS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, SPENDS LESS THAN HALF ON INFRASTRUCTURE
Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., pointed out the link Thursday. White House Director of Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty responded a few hours later that the White House had fixed the issue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Good flag. The link was in error — we think an errant copy/paste — and that’s our mistake. It is now fixed," Flaherty said.
A Fox News analysis of campaign finance laws found no specific provision of law that the link may have violated. But it raises questions surrounding the Hatch Act, a law that limits political activities by executive branch employees. Democrats often accused members of the Trump administration of violating the Hatch Act.
Nevertheless, the law has rarely led to punishment for some officials. The Supreme Court has, however, repeatedly upheld the Hatch Act as constitutional.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DEMOCRATS, BIDEN, PUSH LIMITS OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEFINITION AS FIGHT OVER SPENDING PLAN TAKES SHAPE
Biden's spending plan, formally titled the American Jobs Plan, is being sold as an infrastructure proposal and has broad support from most Democrats in Congress, though there are some that appear reluctant to back it as one massive bill.
President Biden delivers a speech on infrastructure spending at Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center, Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republicans uniformly oppose the plan and say most of it is not actually spending on infrastructure but instead designed to bolster assorted liberal priorities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This plan is not about rebuilding America’s backbone. Less than 6% of this massive proposal goes to roads and bridges," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. "It would spend more money just on electric cars than on America’s roads, bridges, ports, airports and waterways combined."
A Fox News analysis of Biden's plan showed that it spends less than $750 billion -- or between 30% and 40% -- on infrastructure.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democrats, meanwhile, have been arguing for a very broad definition of what constitutes infrastructure, at times drawing mockery for their efforts to expand what the word means.
"Paid leave is infrastructure. Child care is infrastructure. Caregiving is infrastructure," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., tweeted Wednesday.
"We are all infrastructure now," read the subject line of an email from McConnell's office in response to the Gillibrand tweet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Kevin Ward contributed to this report.