Christian leaders made frequent White House visits to Bush, report says

WASHINGTON (RNS) Key conservative Christian leaders made dozens of visits to the White House during President George W. Bush’s administration, a watchdog group announced. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) had sought the records for years. “Newly disclosed Bush-era White House visitor records suggest leading conservative Christian leaders may have had a significant […]

WASHINGTON (RNS) Key conservative Christian leaders made dozens of visits to the White House during President George W. Bush’s administration, a watchdog group announced.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) had sought the records for years.

“Newly disclosed Bush-era White House visitor records suggest leading conservative Christian leaders may have had a significant voice in President Bush’s administration, and many seem to have had the ear of the president himself,” CREW said in a Friday (Sept. 4) news release.


James Dobson, founder of the Colorado-based ministry Focus on the Family, visited the White House 24 times, including 10 visits with President Bush. Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, visited 14 times, including two visits with Bush.

Evangelical women leaders, too, had political clout. Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, made 50 White House visits, including six with the president.

Wendy Wright, president of Washington-based Concerned Women for America, made the second-highest number of visits — 43 — including four with Bush.

Other well-known conservative religious leaders who visited Bush and others at the White House included the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and the late Paul Weyrich, founder of the Free Congress Foundation.

CREW requested the visitor records of a total of nine Christian conservative leaders. The others were Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition; and Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association.

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