WASHINGTON -- Despite donations from nearly 6,000 Americans -- including former President Jimmy Carter, entertainer Barbra Streisand and lobbyists -- President Clinton's legal defense fund is falling far behind his soaring legal bills.
In its first public report, the Presidential Legal Expense Trust yesterday released the names of givers who have given a total of $608,000. That was less than half the $1.3 million that Mr. Clinton has been charged so far by his private attorneys.
The legal fund, the first ever for a sitting president, was established six months ago to pay Mr. Clinton's private attorney fees in the Whitewater financial investigation and in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas employee.
Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, trustee for the legal fund and former U.S. attorney general, acknowledged that donations, limited to $1,000 per person each year, have been trailing off in recent months.
"We ought to do better," Mr. Katzenbach said, blaming a ruling by the Government Office of Ethics that forbids the trust from conducting any fund-raising solicitations.
The donors hail from all 50 states. The average gift was $104. A total of $321,134 already has been paid to Mr. Clinton's lawyers.
Among the donors disclosed were Mr. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, each giving the maximum $1,000, as well as former White House press official and author Liz Carpenter.
From the entertainment world were Ms. Streisand, actors Sean Penn and James Garner, radio host Garrison Keillor, and Lew Wasserman, chairman of entertainment giant MCA.
Several donations came from officials of top lobbying firms, including former Clinton aide Howard Paster, now chairman of Hill & Knowlton.