President Obama has pledged not to take money from lobbyists. But The New York Times reports that the president has relied on supporters who are active in the lobbying industry, even though they aren't registered lobbyists, to raise millions for his reelection campaign.
At least 15 of these lobbyist-affiliated bundlers have raised more than $5 million for the president’s reelection bid. They evade Obama’s pledge not to take money from lobbyists because they aren’t registered as such with the Senate—even though in many ways they are indistinguishable from the people who are.
Obama vowed as both a candidate and president to curb what he has called the corrupting influence of lobbyists, but the influence of K Street bundlers threatens to raise questions about how serious he is about cutting back on lobbyists’ influence, The Times said.
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