RNC Chief: Obama Is Guilty of Fundraising Crime

The chief of the Republican National Committee wants the Department of Justice to investigate an "apparent crime" committed when President Obama recorded a fundraising video in the White House. Reince Priebus says the video was recorded in the Map Room, violating a law against using any area of the White House "occupied in the discharge of official duties" for soliciting campaign contributions, CNN reports.

The Map Room has, however, long been considered by both parties to be a part of the White House residence and campaign finance experts say Priebus' accusation is way off the mark. The RNC chief's letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for an investigation "is an embarrassment to the Republican Party, of which I count myself a part,” Richard Painter, the chief ethics lawyer for George W. Bush during his presidency, tells Politico. (More fundraising stories.)