lobbyist news stories on Newser

Nazi Party Registers Washington Lobbyist

John Johnson — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:19:26 CDT

The newest registered lobbyist on Capitol Hill represents none other than the American Nazi Party. No joke: John Bowles registered this week to represent the "ANP," reports the Hill . He says his main focus will be to try to loosen up election laws to make it easier for like-minded citizens...

Lobbying Firm to Banks: We'll Cripple Occupy

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:21:40 CST

So John Boehner's old employees are at least trying to profit from Occupy. Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, partners at a well-known Washington lobbying firm, are two authors of a proposed $850,000 scheme to drum up negative stories about Occupy Wall Street and any politicians who support it—in...

Abramoff: Reforms Won't Stop 'Bribery' in Congress

Kevin Spak — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:35:05 CDT

Lobbyists still “own” Congress, according to Jack Abramoff, dismissing the “faux reform efforts” passed in the wake of the scandal that landed him in prison . “The system hasn’t been cleaned up at all,” Washington’s most infamous ex-peddler of influence tells 60 Minutes in an interview airing Sunday. “There's an arrogance...

Scott Walker Gives Donor's Kid an $81K Job

Kevin Spak — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:26:14 CDT

Don’t you hate those overpaid public employees? Why, just look at Brian Deschane. He’s racked up two drunk driving convictions, has little experience, and no college degree, yet Scott Walker’s administration is paying him $81,500 a year, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. How did he get the job? Well, it...

Obama Aides Take Lobbyist Meetings Across Street

Kevin Spak — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:17:49 CST

Apparently Barack Obama’s opposition to lobbyist influence isn’t as strident as advertised. Obama’s aides still consult with lobbyists, Politico reports—they just do it across the street from the White House. These chats, held in meeting rooms just off the White House campus, aren’t recorded in the visitor logs that...

State Politics: Hotbed of Sleaze, Booze, Scandal

Rob Quinn — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:36:22 CDT

You hear a lot more about the sleaze in Congress and governors' mansions than the sleaze at the state legislator level, but that's not because of a lack of low-down behavior, an ABC News investigation finds. Five grad students sent to cover a national convention of state legislators in Louisville,...

GOP's 'Pledge' Written by Former Oil, Pharma Lobbyist

Kevin Spak — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:40:00 CDT

The new “ Pledge to America ” the GOP intends to unveil today, as a kind of sequel to the "Contract with America" of old, was written by a guy who was, until a few months ago, a lobbyist for insurance giant AIG, along with big oil and pharma companies. The draft...

Abramoff Working at Pizzeria

John Johnson — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:33:35 CDT

It's a far cry from his old perk-filled life, but it sure beats prison: Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff is in a halfway house and helping a Baltimore pizzeria with marketing and strategy, reports the Baltimore Jewish Times . Abramoff served 43 months in prison for his shady lobbying practices in DC,...

Taxpayers Send $40K a Month to Ex-speaker, Now Lobbyist

Kevin Spak — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:00:00 CST

Taxpayers are doling out more than $40,000 a month to pay for Dennis Hastert’s office, staff, cell phone, SUV, and satellite TV subscriptions—even though the ex-speaker of the House now works as a lobbyist. It’s a troubling situation, ethics experts tell Politico , because though the law provides all...