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THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2001

A top White House official had all but promised the Salvation Army that President Bush would help the national charity evade laws prohibiting discrimination against gays, administration sources told The Washington Post yesterday.

According to the sources, Don E. Eberly, the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, let the charity believe it would be exempted from the laws. In exchange, the charity would promote Bush's controversial faith-based initiative.

A top aide also told The Post that Karl Rove, Bush's senior advisor, helped funnel the charity's request through the administration. The acknowledgment contrasts the White House's position that no top officials had been involved in the process.

The White House has since turned down Salvation Army's request for help.

Get the Story:
Rove Heard Charity Plea On Gay Bias (The Washington Post 7/12)

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