Bush, Clinton, and Gore Release Charitable-Giving Records

President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Al and Tipper Gore, and George W. and Laura Bush have released information about their 1999 charitable giving.

President and Mrs. Clinton gave a total of $39,200 to charity last year, while the Gores gave $15,000.

Those figures were released by the White House, which made public information about the tax returns filed by the Clintons and the Gores.

The White House said that the amount the Clintons gave included $20,000 from earnings from Mrs. Clinton’s book, It Takes a Village, that went primarily to “charities across the country that support children and their families.” An additional $12,000 came from a special “pin money” fund for First Ladies.

Mr. Gore, who will be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee this year, and his wife made their gifts to “causes committed to helping those with various illnesses, religious organizations, educational institutions, and other public-service entities.”

The Gores gave $15,197 to charity in 1998. The vice president drew criticism two years ago when he and Mrs. Gore reported making $353 in charitable gifts in 1997.

Mr. Bush, who will be running against Vice President Gore in November’s presidential election, announced that he and his wife provided $210,000 to churches and charities last year. The Texas governor and his wife said that their contributions included $130,000 in royalties from Mr. Bush’s book, A Charge to Keep.

Governor Bush also recently released tax records that detail his gifts from 1991 to 1998 (The Chronicle, April 6).