WASHINGTON – Presidential adviser Karl Rove (search) is late in paying his Washington, D.C., property taxes, Democratic sources told Fox News on Friday.
Rove, the president's most trusted political strategist and a member of Bush's inner circle, owes $4,405.03, according to sources.
The White House raced to the defense of the president's key adviser, a close ally since Bush first ran for governor in Texas in 1994.
Officials said Rove's mortgage company is responsible for paying property taxes, but when he double-checked with them on Friday, he learned that it failed to make the payment. Officials said Rove requested the mortgage company get the payment to the D.C. government posthaste.
The news comes a day after it was reported that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (search) of North Carolina was late paying his property taxes.
Edwards has since paid up the $11,092 he owed on his Georgetown (search) mansion, the campaign said Thursday.
"As soon as the Edwards received a copy of the tax notice for their property from the D.C. government, they paid it immediately," the campaign said. "There have been times when some of the Edwards's automobile and property taxes were paid late. Those taxes and appropriate penalties were paid in full years ago."
"Sen. Edwards takes full responsibility for any of those bills that were paid late," the campaign added.
The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that Edwards and his wife have also been late more than 30 times over the past decade paying property taxes on their houses and cars in Raleigh, N.C. The millionaire personal injury attorney and his wife were forced to pay interest penalties on eight occasions.
Fox News' Wendell Goler and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
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