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WASHINGTON, October 3, 2005 — When lobbyist William Oldaker sits down to negotiate with a member of Congress, he brings years of experience working for the federal government to the table, as well as the legislative resources of his own firm. He also brings quite a bit of money. >>
WASHINGTON, September 23, 2005 — As U.S. and Chinese negotiators get ready to bump heads over textile trade again next week in Washington, D.C., a Center for Public Integrity analysis of lobbying records filed with the Department of Justice shows that textiles have been one of the top priorities of China's political agenda in the past seven years. >>
WASHINGTON, September 21, 2005 — Not many companies change their name to accommodate a recent hire, but not every new employee has the standing of Kirk Blalock. In a town where influence is predicated on who you know, Blalock's connections are a conspicuously valuable commodity. >>
WASHINGTON, September 13, 2005 — An oil company controlled by the government of China bankrolled one of the most intense, multi-pronged lobbying blitzes in recent memory in a bid to take over U.S. petroleum giant Unocal this summer, according to an in-depth analysis of new disclosure filings by the Center for Public Integrity. >>
Timely, Effective and Fair?
Justice Department makes a valuable public database all but inaccessible
WASHINGTON, August 4, 2005 — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid are among five lawmakers who accepted donations to their legal expense funds—in apparent violation of congressional ethics rules—from registered lobbyists and foreign agents, according to a study by the Center for Public Integrity. >>
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2005 — At least 123 of Washington's top lobbyists occupy the same ethical gray area now threatening to bring down high-profile influence peddler Jack Abramoff, according to a new study by the Center for Public Integrity, American Public Media and Medill News Service. >>
WASHINGTON, May 20, 2005 — The army of lobbyists working behind the scenes to affect federal legislation and agency regulations now count some 650 foreign companies among their clients, which are seeking to influence everything from America's defense contracting and pharmaceutical policies to the sort of environmental matters that literally affect U.S. soil, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. >>
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2005 — Nearly 300 companies and organizations have sought to influence the federal offices responsible for overseeing the integrity of American democracy the past six years. These special interests have reported lobbying the Federal Election Commission, the Office of Government Ethics and the Government Accountability Office. >>
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2005 — The deep-pocketed pharmaceutical and health products industry has lobbied on more than 1,400 congressional bills since 1998 and spent a whopping $759 million during that period, a Center for Public Integrity review of lobbying records revealed. >>
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2005 — 
When average Americans need help with their federal income taxes, they hire an accountant or buy a computer program to ensure that they don't miss out on any deductions. But when corporate giants like Detroit-based DTE Energy want to save millions, they turn to Washington, D.C., lobbyists. >>
When average Americans need help with their federal income taxes, they hire an accountant or buy a computer program to ensure that they don't miss out on any deductions. But when corporate giants like Detroit-based DTE Energy want to save millions, they turn to Washington, D.C., lobbyists. >>
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2005 — We are here today to announce the launching of LobbyWatch, our online lobby database. It's an important new tool that will forever open the shadowy underworld of the Washington lobbyist. >>
Special Report
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2005 — Special interests and the lobbyists they employ have reported spending, since 1998, a total of more than $10.8 billion to influence Congress, the White House and more than 200 federal agencies. They've hired a couple thousand former government officials to influence federal policy on everything from abortion and adoption to taxation and welfare. And they've filed—most of the time—thousands of pages of disclosure forms with the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk's Office. >>
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2005 — When it comes to lobbying in Washington, D.C., those paid to influence America's laws have a habit of disregarding them. >>
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2005 — At a time of enormous budgetary constraints, states, cities and public schools have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbyists to plead their cases before legislators and regulators in the nation's capital. >>
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2005 — Back in 1995 Rep. Dick Zimmer wanted to curtail the ability of lawmakers-turned-lobbyists to trade their public responsibility for private gain. The New Jersey congressman introduced a bill popularly referred to as the "Revolving Door Act." His goal was to "prevent former members of Congress from cashing in on their former positions of public trust by gaining inappropriate advantage over other lobbyists," Zimmer wrote in a letter to a newspaper that year. >>