The Associated Press is reporting that former Sen. Trent Lott is redirecting leftover campaign millions to lawmakers who can help his new high-profile lobbying clients—and it's legal:
Trent Lott had nearly $1.3 million in political donations left over when he quit the Senate to become a lobbyist. Now the former majority leader is doling it out to lawmakers who hold sway over his clients. It's perfectly legal, and Lott is hardly the first to distribute unused campaign cash to former colleagues. But his giving is drawing attention thanks to the magnitude of his campaign account and the high-profile matters he has been hired to promote, including the proposed Delta-Northwest airline merger and Northrop Grumman's contested $35 billion Air Force tanker contract.
"The purpose of it really is to benefit Trent Lott's personal lobbying business at this point. There is no other benefit at all," said Craig Holman, who lobbies for tighter campaign finance rules for Public Citizen.
Under congressional rules, campaign committees for former lawmakers - including those who retire, die or lose elections - are allowed to use leftover money for a variety of purposes so long as it is not spent for personal benefit. Lott says he's just supporting like-minded Republicans.
Previous Commentsshow
What's this?More like this story
More stories by this author
- EDITOR'S NOTE: 19 Years of Love, Hope, Miss S, Dr. S and Never, Ever Giving Up
- EDITOR'S NOTE: Systemic Racism Created Jackson’s Violence; More Policing Cannot Stop It
- Rest in Peace, Ronni Mott: Your Journalism Saved Lives. This I Know.
- EDITOR'S NOTE: Rest Well, Gov. Winter. We Will Keep Your Fire Burning.
- EDITOR'S NOTE: Truth and Journalism on the Front Lines of COVID-19
Support our reporting -- Follow the MFP.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.