Obama Limits Inaugural Donations

From William Triplett in Washington.

President-elect Barack Obama announced “unprecedented limits” on donations for inaugural activities, including a $50,000 cap on individual contributions.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee, which is coordinating events for Jan. 20, said Tuesday that it would not accept any donations from “corporations, political action committees, current federally-registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens and registered foreign agents.”

Despite no legal restrictions on inaugural donations, the committee pledged to limit individual contributions to $50,000 while noting that previous inaugural committees have allowed contributions to “run as high as $250,000.”

Obama's team in Southern California has been inundated with requests for inaugural tickets, from studio executives, celebrities and other creative types. They are reportedly offering packages that include four tickets for every $50,000 contribution.

The PIC said the limits are intended to underscore campaign pledges by Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden “to change business as usual in Washington.”

Still, news reports have surface in recent days that the Obama camp needs to raise money for inaugural festivities, perhaps as much as $18 million.

David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, sent out a call for donations today, keyed to the transition, directing them to here.