When the Obama administration promised to rein in what some say are predatory practices of for-profit colleges, which had been accused of luring students into taking on unsustainable debt, the colleges fought back. The $30-billion industry—which gets most of its money through federal student aid—waged a $16-million blitz using prominent Democratic lobbyists with ties to the administration, including Anita Dunn and Richard Gephardt. The White House says the campaign had no effect, but education officials say it watered down the new rules.
