Trashing the Lincoln Bedroom

 
The White House Lincoln Bedroom is a national treasure. In it, President Abraham Lincoln held cabinet meetings, planned campaigns with his generals, and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address is permanently stored in the Bedroom.


Over the course of Bill Clinton's administration, the Lincoln Bedroom was rented to 831 different people. That total does not include the Clintons' relatives or their guests (of which there were 35); nor does it include daughter Chelsea's guests (72).

Not only did Bill Clinton's heaviest donors rent the room, but CNN reported a little remembered controversy in September 2000: that Hillary Rodham Clinton was rewarding donors to her Senate campaign with stays in the Bedroom. While the Clintons insisted that there was no connection between Senate campaign donations and guest stays, they also could not dispute that about a quarter of those staying had contributed to Hillary's Senate coffers.


Two of the Lincoln Bedroom's renters -- Linda Thomason and actress Markie Post -- are pictured here trashing the bed by treating it like a trampoline. The bed itself is considered a national treasure. Expect more of the same should Hillary take the presidency.