DRAIN THE SWAMP?

Report: Mick Mulvaney Encouraged Pay-to-Play With Lobbyists

“If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you.”

Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s budget director and the acting chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, reportedly encouraged bank executives and lobbyists to participate in a pay-to-play scheme. Mulvaney also said that when he served as a congressman, he would only meet with lobbyists who had donated to his campaign. “If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you,” he said, adding that he would talk to his constituents “without exception, regardless of financial contributions.” Mulvaney’s spokesman said his boss “was making the point that hearing from people back home is vital to our democratic process and the most important thing our representatives can do. It’s more important than lobbyists and it’s more important than money.”