Bush, Cheney Report Financial Assets

(AP) ^ | SONYA ROSS

[Dallas]

WASHINGTON --

President Bush is a millionaire at least nine times over -- but he's still behind his second-in-command.

In financial disclosure forms filed with the Office of Government Ethics, the president and first lady Laura Bush reported assets between $9 million and $19 million, most of it in a blind trust.

Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, reported between $23 million and $70 million. Before returning to government, Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton Co., an oil services firm based in Dallas.

Among his assets, Bush listed his 1,583-acre ranch near Crawford, Texas, valued between $1 million and $5 million. Cheney listed undeveloped real estate in McLean, Va., in the same value range.

The Bushes also reported trusts of up to $780,000 each for their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna, containing stock, bonds and money market accounts. The stock holdings included Lucent Technologies WorldCom Inc., Microsoft Corp., Procter & Gamble, Walt Disney Co., the Gap and IBM.

The disclosure forms, filed Wednesday, also showed presidential gifts Bush has decided to keep -- worth $21,857 worth in all. They included a $310 hardcover copy of "The Beatles Anthology," given -- and signed -- by Paul McCartney; a four-inch silver and gold belt buckle with the presidential seal, and a $3,540 handmade mesquite wood bench, engraved with a star, from Section C of the Harvard Business School, Class of '75.

Bush also kept a couple of fishing rods and reels, nearly a dozen neckties, $300 worth of Italian fabric (for a man's suit), a $7,101 golf cart from golfer Ben Crenshaw and a $375 Judith Leiber compact that Crenshaw sent along for the first lady.

Besides the compact, Mrs. Bush kept 15 books, a set of luggage, a 17-inch sterling mesh necklace, cosmetics, a floral silk scarf and bottle of perfume, and a painting, by Charlie Carrillo of Santa Fe, N.M., of a saint on wood.

Cheney kept $16,158 worth of gifts, including a framed, handpainted hunter boomerang, worth $260, from Australian politician Denis Burke; the flag that flew over the Capitol during the 2001 inauguration, a gift from House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and a framed photograph, sent by Inaugural Committee chairman Mitch McConnell, of Cheney being sworn in.

Cheney also kept a $425, special edition Winchester 94 Golden Spike commemorative 30-30 rifle, a gift when he retired from the board of directors for Union Pacific Corp. And, like Bush, he retained a fishing rod.

Under federal law, public officials and key government-paid advisers are required to report the value of their assets, income and debts only within broad ranges.

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

[aspasia]

And, like Bush, he retained a fishing rod.

Good for him!

[ken5050]

What's realy ironic is that Cheney was forced to divest himself of his Halliburton stock...remember the stink he dems made....and it saved him millins, as the stock is down aboutn 2/3's from when he sold...

[BunnySlippers]

People always complain about Bush and Cheney having so much money ... but they were wealthy before becoming politicians. What I'm worried about are politicians like Bill and Hillary who were flat broke and without a home until they left the government with millions to their name!!!

[drjimmy]

People always complain about Bush and Cheney having so much money ... but they were wealthy before becoming politicians.
That's certainly not the case with Cheney. He was in politics from the time he graduated from college in 1965 until he left as secretary of defense in 1993, except for about one year. He earned all his millions after 1995 when he was named CEO of Halliburton, whose subsidiary Brown and Root Services had been paid millions by the Pentagon under Cheney.