Lobbyists wine, dine and flash cash to DEM as they work to take control of Congress. Wait, stop, is that the DEM’s trying to take Congressional control or the Lobbyists – PB/TK
Corporate Lobbyists Funnel Cash To House Democrats Amid Push To Pass Trump’s Business Initiatives – By Andrew Perez & David Sirota 04/17/17
Corporate lobbyists are taking on a larger role in the Democratic Party’s fundraising efforts as it seeks to regain control of Congress, according to documents reviewed by MapLight and International Business Times. The cash infusion comes as House Democrats face pressure to break from their party and support Trump administration initiatives that could benefit the lobbyists’ clients.
A filing last week by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) shows four corporate lobbyists raised more than $380,000 for the organization — the primary campaign arm for Democratic House candidates — between January and March. The three-month figure is nearly four times as much as the amount lobbyists raised for the DCCC during the entire 2016 election cycle. In all, the DCCC reported raising $31 million in the first quarter of 2017.
Since the election, the question of whether Democrats should embrace or spurn business interests has been a point of contention in the lingering feud between the party’s centrist officials, most of whom backed Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who challenged the former secretary of state for the Democratic nomination.
Last year, the Democratic National Committee ended its ban on lobbyist donations, which was put in place by former President Barack Obama. The decision angered many Sanders voters, who saw it as a move to boost Clinton’s fundraising in the primary race. In the wake of Clinton’s loss to Trump, progressives have pushed the party once again to reject lobbyist cash.
Although the DCCC never prohibited lobbyist donations, the committee reported only about $100,000 in funds bundled by lobbyists in all of 2015 and 2016, according to a MapLight review of campaign finance records.
Three of the lobbyists who have been collecting checks for the DCCC were major Clinton donors and fundraisers — accounting for about $1.7 million in donations to the Clinton campaign and its joint fundraising account with the DNC and state parties. Some of their clients could have interests in legislative measures before the House of Representatives.
Tony Podesta, who founded the Podesta Group lobbying firm, has raised $131,000 for the DCCC and donated $5,000 to the committee so far this year. His client list includes Walmart, Wells Fargo, as well as defense contractors Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems.
Continue to ibtimes.com article: http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/corporate-lobbyists-funnel-cash-house-democrats-amid-push-pass-trumps-business
