Remember that thing we made a huge deal about last month? The election? Where dozens of new representatives, nearly all Republicans, blew out Democrats with pledges to fight “special interests” and change the way business is done in the nation’s capitol? (You know where this is going…)
The Washington Post today reports on the many debt-retirement fundraisers being held for these newly elected members of Congress, most of which are $2,500-per-guest or more, to help pay off campaign expenses. What groups are showering freshmen lawmakers with cash at these events? Here are a few of the companies named in the story: Deloitte, ExxonMobil, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Delta Airlines, Rolls-Royce and Verizon Communications, among others.
How, you may be wondering, does this jibe with candidates’ claims to change how Washington operates? Allow Andrew Theodore, an Alexandria, Va. consultant hired to help these new members of Congress retire their debt, explain:
“These guys ran against Washington, but they ran against the bad parts of Washington–the bloated bureaucracy and Nancy Pelosi’s agenda,” he said. “That’s not a contradiction to take money from a trade group or corporation that represents free-enterprise principles.”
via The Awl