Loopholes let lawmakers live large

Publication: USA Today

Fredreka Schouten and Ken Dilanian
August 25, 2008

The chance to sip cocktails with actress Ashley Judd, dance to the beat of the Black Eyed Peas or listen to Willie Nelson croon country tunes. All this and more await members of Congress at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The four-day political event is crammed with concerts, parties and receptions hosted by groups that want to influence Congress, despite rules passed last year aimed at severing ties between lawmakers and special interests.

"People are learning to live within the loopholes and party on," said Nancy Watzman of the Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog group that has tallied more than 400 events at the Democratic convention, which officially begins today, and its Republican counterpart, scheduled for Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul.

The ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting meals, gifts or entertainment from lobbyists and groups that employ them.

They also prohibit senators and House members from attending lobbyist-funded parties thrown in their honor. But there are exemptions. Members of Congress, for instance, still can snack at lobbyist-funded events if nothing more substantial than finger food is served.

They also can go to "widely attended" gatherings as long as at least 25 people who aren't in Congress also participate and the event is related to their "official duties."

And none of the restrictions applies to functions that either raise campaign money, collect cash for charities or are sponsored by political fundraising committees.

Some groups are taking extra pains to ensure they comply with the rules. Officials with the Nuclear Energy Institute, for example, recently spent an hour on the telephone reviewing details of their convention events — including menus — with an outside lawyer, said Hannah Simone, senior director of political affairs.

Lobbyists and corporations now have to swear under penalty of perjury that they haven't violated the gift restrictions, said attorney Cleta Mitchell, who advises clients on how to comply.

"I've had to scrub some menus, and say, 'You've got to dial this back,' " she said.

Watzman said the political conventions remain a channel for powerful interests to court influence with policymakers. The party circuit includes:

•A Wednesday concert featuring rapper Kanye West, sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America. It is touted as a "celebration" of the ONE Campaign, a charitable group that fights poverty and is supported by AT&T and other corporate sponsors. Jonathan Lamy, spokesman for the recording group, said the event is "about being relevant to the political process at a moment of maximum attention and helping showcase a good cause."

•For giving $25,000 to $250,000, donors to the Democratic Governors Association can attend parties, receptions and a "sponsors luncheon" at a downtown steakhouse. The governors association is not subject to congressional ethics rules nor federal campaign-finance laws that cap donations from union and corporate political action committees. "They are events for our supporters to interact with our governors," group spokesman Brian Namey said.

•The Creative Coalition has planned 15 events in Denver, including Wednesday night's benefit concert featuring the Black Eyed Peas, co-sponsored by retailer Target. Concert sponsorship packages of $10,000 to $100,000 benefit the non-profit coalition, which lobbies on issues such as public funding for the arts.

"We are making inroads with elected officials and policymakers so when we come to Capitol Hill, we are not coming in cold," Executive Director Robin Bronk said of its convention activities.

•Judd will appear at Planned Parenthood's "Sex, Politics and Cocktail" party to spotlight the group's efforts to elect abortion-rights candidates.

•Colorado-based engineering firm CH2M Hill, which did about $1.3 billion in business with the federal government last year, is sponsoring the Nelson concert today as part of its exposition on renewable energy sources. Company spokesman John Corsi said the event is "an opportunity to showcase ideas and talk about trends."

Most of the convention entertaining is about wealthy special interests wooing politicians. But in some cases, it's the reverse.

Months ago, the committees that raise money for Democratic House and Senate candidates, like their Republican counterparts, sold "packages." The more the donors gave, the more convention parties they get to attend.

The Premier Package offered by House Democrats, for example, offered two hotel rooms, two convention hall passes and seven party invitations to groups or individuals who gave and helped raise a total of $155,000. One of the tickets is to a reception billed as "A Salute to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."

Pelosi supports public financing of campaigns, said her spokesman, Brendan Daly. "But until the system is changed," he said, "Democrats need to raise money to compete in House elections all across the country."