Lobbyists Raise Huge Campaign Cash

About 160 registered lobbyists raised funds of at least $9 million for politicians in the last year, according to The Washington Post. New records show many lobbyists moonlight bundling campaign cash for lawmakers and political parties even as they’re working those same people to craft legislation more favorable to their clients. The fundraising buys them access and power. The Obama administration has proposed new rules to limit bundling, which is how some lobbyists skirt laws restricting individual donation limits. The new records are the result of a 2007 law—which critics say is riddled with loopholes—that requires bundling of over $16,000 to be reported. Democrats accepted three-quarters of the lobbyist-bundled money, reports show, though both Obama and the Democratic National Committee do not take money from lobbyists.