Bush Says Library 'Probably' to Get Funding from Foreign Donors

WASHINGTON — President Bush, refusing to commit to disclosing the donors who will give the millions of dollars needed to build his library in Dallas, said Thursday the facility will "probably" be funded in part by foreign money.

Addressing the topic publicly for the first time since last week's formal announcement of the selection of Southern Methodist University for the library, Bush slalomed around questions about how much it will cost and whether Americans have a right to know who's paying for it.

"I haven't seen the final budget," Bush told a White House news conference when asked about published reports that the cost will top $200 million.

Presidential libraries are not built with taxpayer money. Instead, Bush – like his recent predecessors – has set up a nonprofit foundation to seek contributions. There is no law requiring such foundations to disclose their sources of funds.

President Clinton's Little Rock library cost $165 million, and the William J. Clinton Foundation has declined to release its donor list. The Washington Post reported in December that $10 million came from Saudi Arabia's royal family.

Bush said no decision has been made about disclosing the donor list for the project, which will include a library, archives and public policy center.

"We'll look at the disclosure requirements and make a decision," Bush said. "There's a lot of people, or some people – I shouldn't say a lot – some people who like to, you know, like to give and don't particularly want their names disclosed, whether it be for this foundation or any other foundation. So we'll take that into consideration."

Donors to his father's presidential library at Texas A&M have been disclosed, with some exceptions. Large donors to that project included the governments of Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Japan. Former Saudi Ambassador Bandar bin Sultan's family gave at least $1 million.

Asked if he would accept foreign money for his Dallas library, Bush said, "Yes, probably take some foreign money, but don't know yet."

"We just announced the deal," he said. "And I, frankly, have been focused elsewhere, like on gasoline prices and, you know, my trip to Africa, and haven't seen the fundraising strategy yet. And so the answer to your question is really I can't answer your questions well."

Asked if Americans have a right to know where the library money is coming from, Bush said, "You know, we're weighing, talking a look. Taking consideration, giving it serious consideration."

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has introduced legislation to require disclosure of contributions to presidential libraries.

The Clinton library, while not listing donors, has acknowledged accepting foreign money.

"As president, he was beloved around the world, so it should come as no surprise that there has been an outpouring of financial support from around the world to sustain his post-presidential work," the Clinton Foundation said in a December statement.

The Washington Post used interviews and tax records of other foundations to determine that the governments of Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan and Brunei each gave at least $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Several Middle Eastern business executives each also gave at least $1 million.