Ed Henry pressed Carney today about an article in the New York Times that alleged that at least 15 people raising and donating money to Obama’s campaign are basically lobbyists.
First, here’s the article:
At least 15 of Mr. Obama’s “bundlers” — supporters who contribute their own money to his campaign and solicit it from others — are involved in lobbying for Washington consulting shops or private companies. They have raised more than $5 million so far for the campaign.
Because the bundlers are not registered as lobbyists with the Senate, the Obama campaign has managed to avoid running afoul of its self-imposed ban on taking money from lobbyists.
But registered or not, the bundlers are in many ways indistinguishable from people who fit the technical definition of a lobbyist. They glide easily through the corridors of power in Washington, with a number of them hosting Mr. Obama at fund-raisers while also visiting the White House on policy matters and official business.
As both a candidate and as president, Mr. Obama has vowed to curb what he calls the corrupting influence of lobbyists, barring them not only from contributing to his campaign but also from holding jobs in his administration. While lobbyists grouse about the rules, ethics watchdogs credit the changes with raising ethical standards in Washington.
In answering Henry’s question about this, Carney first tried to deflect by saying “What’s interesting is that you’re citing that story and not the story that demonstrated that lobbyists are lining up in record numbers to contribute to Republican campaigns…” But Henry hit back, noting that Obama made a pledge in 2008 and that he wanted to know if this violated the spirit of the pledge. Carney from that point on continued to reiterate that Obama has had the best record of any administration in not accepting lobbying money, that his record has been exemplary.
Here’s the clip:
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