Obama Kicks Off Transition Fundraising

Barack Obama's campaign fundraising is over but his victory fundraising has only just begun, Politico reports. The president-elect is seeking cash from private donors to supplement the $6.3 million of public money his team will get to fund the transition. The practice has been common since the Reagan presidency but it still worries reform advocates who worry about the political influence that money can buy.

Presidents-elect raise extra transition cash to help cover the cost of vetting and relocating new appointees, and to begin charting the path forward by taking stock of various agencies. Obama has until Feb. 20 to disclose all contributions to the non-profit Obama-Biden Transition Project, but his team hasn’t said whether the info will be made public before the inauguration.