He has a plausible defense; he could say he's fighting for his constituency, and that's true in large part. The thing is, the contributions undercut his argument. The money really complicates it, or even compromises the integrity behind the action.
Those are several times more than the average. It shows you that this is going to be a very costly election.
This scandal has the potential to have a huge effect on K Street for decades. It will not only further shape people's opinions about lobbying but could also lead to reform.
Big-money donors have realized this is going to be a key election, where majority control of the House could potentially be up for grabs.
These are the people that really get things done. There is a premium on them and there is a reason.
Your local taxpayer dollars are being used to employ a lobbyist as a middleman to go out and get your federal tax dollars. It's a situation that's increasing.
This is going to be one of the biggest scandals that has hit Washington in more than a decade.
It's a huge questionable situation. When it comes to lobbying, clients gravitate toward those with connections and being the chairman of someone's campaign is a huge connection because they control the lifeblood of that campaign.
It's almost like a lobbyist tax, to hire somebody out of K Street (the Washington lobbyists) with local taxes and tuition dollars to work on their behalf.
It's an industry that's willing to donate millions. It doesn't matter that much when they can reap billions.