Obama Transition Team Opens Donor List; Raises $1.2 Million So Far

December 1, 2008 4:03 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The presidential transition team on Monday released a list of donors, saying it was following the President-elect Barack Obama's campaign commitment to transparency.

The list, which is posted on the transition website at change.gov, has 1,776 donors each giving amounts ranging from $5 to $5,000, the limit imposed by Obama. The contributions total $1,170,937.44 and cover the period through Nov. 15, or 11 days after the election.

Only individual donations are accepted by the transition team. Obama transition team co-chairman John Podesta earlier this month announced that contributions from federal lobbyists, corporations, labor unions, and political action committees (PAC) will not be accepted. He also said the transition team will employ about 450 people and cost $12 million.

During the election, Obama had led in the money race and broken all fundraising records by raising $150 million in a month. He repeatedly touted his grassroots fundraising campaign that he said did not accept donations from lobbyists and PACs. But Republicans have cited irregularities in his campaign finances, citing reports that said he had illegally accepted campaign donations from foreign nationals.

According to Newsweek, Obama had returned $33,000 earlier this year to two brothers in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian bought campaign shirts online, a transaction that is considered a donation. The Obama campaign had reportedly thought the brothers' address was in Georgia, "Ga.," rather than Gaza.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) also had to require the Obama campaign to return contributions from someone named "Doodad Pro" of Nunda, N.Y., whose $25 donations totaled $17,000, and "Good Will" of Austin, Texas, who gave over $11,000 in all.

Federal law prohibits foreign nationals and government contractors from donating to national campaigns. It also limits individual campaign donations to $2,300, but does not require donations of less than $200 to be reported to the FEC.

The 77 days between election day and Obama's inauguration as the 44th U.S. president is called the transition. Obama will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009.