CRISIS/POLITICAL FIGURES: “All five living former US presidents are joining together to support a relief and recovery effort after Hurricane Harvey.
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared in a video and asked Americans to respond to the devastation wrought by the hurricane…
The office of the elder Bush announced that the push would include an appeal in the opening of the NFL’s regular season, with another public service announcement over the weekend…
The charity effort by the former presidents comes as the federal government continues to respond to Hurricane Harvey and braces for the impact of Hurricane Irma, which is currently expected to hit Florida.
Donations will be collected and distributed by the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation through a restricted account, the office’s statement said. The elder Bush and Clinton have joined together in response to disasters in the past, including Hurricane Katrina.
A person familiar with the former presidents’ appeal said that although the White House was notified ahead of the public announcement, the effort was always intended to be only the ex-presidents without participation from the current commander in chief.
That wasn’t intended as a slight and wasn’t because of the animosity that’s lingered between President Donald Trump and his predecessors, according to this person.”
-Eli Watkins and Kevin Liptak, “All 5 living former presidents launch appeal for help for Harvey victims,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Sept. 8, 2017 09:28am