Washington D.C's Top 50 Lobbyists
i$ii ired iiii rr uns $1'l Their weaponsnow areBlackBerries and cellphones. But cclnnections, sany, and fundraising clout are still the kevsto the influencewielded by the ciqzs5O top lobbyists. ,N t)Ni\r) AFTERALUCRAflIVE l2-year run on Capitol Hill, it hasn't bccr.rd.rc bcst of timcs fbr Washington lobbyists, especiallyRepublicalrs. Onc of thc most pror-r-rincntlobbyists, lack Abramofl, nor,v H"n *, resiclcsin (lumberlirr.rcl,Marvlar.rd, a guest of tl-rcFedcral Bu- reau of Prisons. His prosccutior.ror.r chirrgcs of giving illcgal w ,,.fJ gifts ar-rdr-nc:rls to lawrnakerslr-rd cleflaucling clients casta pall over tr profbssionthat, fbirly or not, dicl-r't l-ravcthe best rcpu- tation to begin witl-r. For Rcpublicans who thor-rght thir.rgscoulct.r't ger worse, thcv did. Dcurocrirtswor-r both housesof Congress in the 2006 clections, retnrning sorne old bulls-ar-r-rongthern llar- nev Frank, Charles Rangel, lol.rr.rConyers, John Dingell, and Hcr-rryWaxmxn-to powe r. Twelve yearscarlier, new Republican n-rajoriryleader Torr-r Delay instituted tl-reI( Street Project, by r,vl.richloyal fliends of the 1994 Republicar-rrevolutiorr were to be rewarded. Big businesswas none too subtly infbrnted tl.rtrtf'r'ier.rds ar.rd aides of the victors should reap tl.respoils. Democratic powers like Tl.rornasHale Boggs fr. began talk- ing about retirement. Republican staffersand el,en rnembers i ".{qifui! * drui$"1L By Kim IsaacEisler ,, #"* .* Photograph by Gary Landsman "' rd"r."$- $ *:l FF 66 WASHINGTONIAN \ f - ll ry ofCongress, eagerto cashin, left the money,so they come to us." the minding comesin.
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