Huckabee defends 'wedding' gift registry

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday angrily defended a gift registry that was set up to help furnish his new home, and said the registry was put together by his wife's friends for a housewarming party.

"My wife has friends; she has lifelong friends. They wanted to do something for her," the Arkansas Republican told reporters after speaking at an event in downtown Little Rock. "It has nothing to do with who she is, other than she's their friend."

Huckabee has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and has made trips to several important primary states.

He said he did not know the friends who set up the gift registry, nor did he know the names of the friends who hosted a housewarming party for which the registry was intended.

Huckabee said the registries at the Target and Dillard's Web sites were set up as wedding registries because there was no separate category for housewarming parties.

Huckabee criticized news outlets for reporting on the gift registry and said he felt he and his wife were being unfairly portrayed.

The news stories "created the impression that my wife has gone out and solicited gifts, which is absolutely untrue," Huckabee said.

Huckabee said he would report any of the gifts on financial disclosure forms if he's required to by law, but indicated he did not see any ethical problems by accepting the gifts.

The Huckabees married in 1974. They entered into a covenant marriage in February 2005.