It is illegal to solicit campaign funds from the White House.

In his defense of his phone calls and insistence that they raised no legal issue, Mr. Gore referred today to a statute that makes it unlawful for ''any person to solicit or receive any contribution'' ''in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties,'' such as the offices in the White House.

The statute, Section 607 of Title 18 of the United States Code, has its roots in an 1876 law intended to discourage ''political assessments'': the collection from Government employees of part of their salary to support the incumbent party. The statute carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and three years' imprisonment.

Unlike the Hatch Act, Section 607 makes no exceptions for any officials -- including the President or Vice President. And on its face, it is broadly worded, seeming to apply to any official who asks for a donation.