Conditional Gifts to the President from Anonymous Donors

Opinion

, M£‘L(§O(“ A`PR. 26 1974

2 z§§§§§§§§§ §§§ §§§-§§ §. ca§§§§§ . APR 5 1974 §§§§§1§§§ §§§§§§1 §§ §§§ §§§sid§§§

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- R£e Gézéitienal §i§t§ ts gha President f§ém 33§5?@§§§¢§§§9§$_' ..,-_H‘M___M¢

' -This mem$ra§&um analyzes the legal im§l£eaeieus af gif¢s _te she P£¢si駧tffdom anonymous dsnerg. 颢a¥diag Eo a- ' Pre§iéenni¢£ §§H¢un¢emenz ef`é§ril 1$;,191#; au¢nym@§§H g ._» eeu§ribusién# §§ ;h¢ smoune as same $2,5697&avejr&aégzxyly:1' been sen£_é@*§h&'?rasiéant 26 help him~pay'his-HBYSGHRI`F“' iveams‘€azea, ti fn that anneuneemen€ §he~?§é$i駧£'als§¢ indieaea¢; eha€_"t;e will seem all een'er;hu@;ang ¢Wz;;_¢h gm ‘ ,-; _ , b§'traaeé tv a aeaer, _§a addini¢n¢ mg h's ask § gha£ angug§mng¥ -¢e§§§ivetiena whi¢h ean§ot be Ee§urneé be inrheé ever te gha f Re zr§ss. ' - , - . f':* "'

T§e £ailcw£ng gnalysis aeals W£th §§§\l¢$&li§? ag §Y§B£§§ over EHe aae$ymau$ é@§£ributiens co €ha Red S§Qas ané-¢Ea# gluées that the Yxeg§d@n£ may lawfully_do se proviéad €h&t he waits a reas¢g@§§&'&ime-HQ permie'donors §§ ahaud¢n t§§iz

anenymiey'and bjeet ho the prepesed.trans£§r¢ I* Gan$cééu¢ioaal_aq£ $£a§§pe§y ?r@v£s;en$

There §§ no relevant eonstigu££cmal er:suatu&ery provisi@m, He assume zha£ gene af Ehe_cen&§£hu§i&ps whieh the Presiden& §§§.Ye¢%ived asme from fezeign hé&é$ of sides or their governm¢n§s. Hn§er zhat assempuian HH§a-e£ the contri~ bm$imw§§:§;e aubje¢e go Artial$ 1,_5@¢§1¢§'9, €lause 8 e£ eha gonesi§ucibn, whieh daelaxes ahan “no P§rs§a holding avy Offiee af Prefi§ under [€he Unieaé Staees] shall wiehnuz the cansent §§ Gangrees a¢§apt any Pvesent . ¢\* gram any King, Prinee, §§ fareiga Sea§e". - `

wieh regaré te gi£ns to she Presid¢az £Yom dgmgsc;@

seureas, uhare ia no parallel eaustitatia§al er statutory pzevisian. The oply szaeute dealing with gha aecepzanee of gifts ff¢m demes§ie sources.is 5 U.E.€. 7351% whieh pertains to gi£ts to and iram feée§al employees and their superiers. Wg asaume that ne such gifts are invalved hare. in aum, there is ne stakute_eurrently in force wi€h reference ve the \President'e owaership af gifts receive¢ irem gane¥al domestic ,

eenrees. Bnder federal law ha aaa lawfully accept and dispose

`;/ see 15*§%@31deaeia1‘Baevm¢nts= ai¢nard uixag 411-412 gigzaz.

' ' '.gl‘;§‘f,in:-= - F‘W '

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. " wsm mahoui:a&? Mstitutienai or st::ww€ary‘ impediments ` ` n:-i_ if mg 212 " °

_' Ezeeu?§ ' Btréer.H-.E_Z;E_,_e£ Hay S,L 1955 §§§i-.d dame§)mm- -' heg;iv¢ guidelines rap§l;i¢é§zle- se gi£it:s- ve exec§ut_:iva iz¥aneei;,- ' .o££i;egz:s agz¥¢diple»ye;_a“§ _£wm private segr¢¢s-, Wa stems §§§ \pres__ent.¢ _Pm;*-"P;f¥€§“ " h&ij='.'$hi$ lixa,§i.dgncial order glass ap;zlies 't¢'t‘li_;é' ‘s'£;c§§aii _-;§zgal§~. _' "rhe 'vai's;ien~ of weir away '- ' releva;;eze here 'is; 's¢e" en ;2€>1£_¢?- ‘d" wing §mplv.zyégs ad avoid eha a§pgar dee ' ' " t by HS1 354 -'pub;li<; _ o£,£.-:I_~.'¢¢ £z;x: A-gfivaz:e

" §§ mele § who ra§¢aive¢:i an h¢gma* nw - ~E§r-:»f. azr¢ al spee¢ 1116 ¢m§§d 11 €B¢h€#iwr - g -€¥re£e&f;€ea: elaimi:ng war mama cs~£ the.-' ' iam 53 a iei,e'dzr§j;ie;;~ ‘. ;f;,¢zr.iuam t:a:s: g F_'_'z§és.¢,.»waul-d. ’iz:cv ear mg vel using : - - \ his while @££i'§§e: '£‘.;=.~u';'; pr;va£e .;.gain. He)§ m far as wa ¢§n_. ' cell@~z§§'epaa¥;buzi¢ns~a%§e~m@de:ve vhe‘Hzg¢id¢§£ h¢¢aase § ; pf his ee¢upamy -e£- .tehe_ @£§iee of \'Breaid¢ne:. AMW'"-_ 1 ;E-y - . , " in erdaa;’ i§q~'§v€)i-.d any §§§-sdwa under Ex:e.e'ufzive' Qi:é§ar 1,`22}§ ' " _ ear aévice 111 again§§ via elaine-ing an income team de;éuegi€m ' ear owezwi-;s¢ fin§n¢$,elly henafitix;g frou; the leonhrib§zti£en._¢,

. §§§ The€¢wmn w fsia ha;ve* foun§ ne g;§tz-héri§y* dealing spé¢ilfif.eally wish

- _ _: ‘_ iia-_ gi£w Ae¢@réiugly the cement 1339r dealing wizh gius ~ am seemed irs my nw ve HPPLIMMQ~

; '£Eae- generale rule wi€E:-';zegard fm inter-vwag .` tim §!

is tha-z fahey swan ve eam§$§et§ély exe.eut:ed to be__, efj eet:i've. 23th isn ' wage mast 'b'¢ 'a; donative ingenuicm, _¢;; example§¢

agd 'mcazz§it:ierzal delivery and am ,aeeeptan.e¢ by irene dmzza_. _ Furt;he‘iémere, ,i;r&ng_£er of r_tl;ixt;le, must be ahselut:e' and ge into imdiamjef£ezt:; ;31’_ -If; fiat example, -it:,h¢_ ei<`_m¢§r aid mm intend ms make a gf£§_,.. § meander of tidal to f:ha dame aware cream mm ` 3 ' '

§§f A?€"dist:wg‘izlsh¢dé frém giffs.eau$a-§Hartisl juan mazda in 'e¢neem§l¢¢im oz a;§@ez,h. see 38 s _Gz.`ch§, §§ 72»1.21. 7 3/ 33 Am Jur.-\ Zd,~ K%B;Wezat:ion;_ G@ndit:ienal G-if%:s, § 81'., g. 38'3. gee else R. Brem:,"j"l?¥re ,f.aw of Y¢ris&?al"?ropertj 8&*,._=,.141

" G §eden, .19? F.zé 194 <.1953); Kregf -v. am .:,¢am Asss).. , 176 F_.~ Supp,

_ ' . ,..‘r . \ _ ‘jf" .' § 13 _ z ,

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173§;€§§ éame token, a éB§aé ¢anjref§se §o‘ageep;'a-g;£§;‘k7; erH§ve 3 if-he.éxex¢ises éominien ever7£h& auhj¢@t_e£ the gi §;"

ha faa generally had te have awaych in §j- If_ HBP¢&::& ._ 7 fe us-t§a& by turning over gha anqnymo§s eontributi¢§s ta €he 3317§:¢35 eha Presiéenz waul§`he éeamgd to hawa_exargi¢zd dominioajover she gi£¢s ané aaa¢réiagly ca haze a¢eepzeé '

- champ Ic: is geneeivable, hmvaz* evan she Praoi,¢¢nt-"s 'pgblié- announcemeat7e£ turning ev&x the contributions te t&e Reé Erosa may elieic an objeati¢u fram a diverse unidentified denor'that his eoanziburiun was-intended,enlg.£er paymsn§ af_ ingoaa.tax'liabilit§é£ H§.ch¢r&fare suggest t at the Praa£éen§' wait same further t ,_ be£ere transmigting-the gifts mo €he

7 age Grass in order to permie a éonar to.obje¢c. Aasum$gg evan eha ehje¢eo: can establish his identizy as an originglly 7anonywous donor, his aeatribuxio&'$hould be returned th him.

,,.- .'.-.-.Z~'¢ ila_'»i\‘v.-.-;-'_`._ '. .~\. ._ .

Rgheru 61 Bixsn§ Jr. Assiatant A£torney General affics Q£ L¢gal Ueunsal

17”§£¢wn at 115. see also §§“Eix.s. at 6@?, giving ;_ gas er'a §ill, 292 E.Y.S. 415, 1§1 Hise. 461, reylé grean§s; 15 §‘Y.S. 2d 82, 259 App. Div. 5§'{19&&).

§1'5' §§

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,;/ 33 A¢. Jur. at ssa.