Massie says lobbyist offered him key committee seat
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Published on 05-28-2016 11:30 PM
Deirdre Shesgreen
May 25, 2016
WASHINGTON — Rep. Thomas Massie says early in his congressional career he got a startling lesson in the money-and-influence ways of Washington.
Massie, a Republican who represents Northern Kentucky, said he was approached by a lobbyist who told him he could help the congressman raise enough money to get on the Ways and Means Committee. That's a powerful committe which oversees tax policy and is one of the most coveted panels in Congress. Massie declined to name the lobbyist but said he represents the medical device sector.
“He pulled me and my chief of staff into a meeting,” Massie told The Enquirer. “He offered to raise the money that would be required to get me on Ways and Means. This is a lobbyist telling me he can get me on Ways and Means.”
The unstated implication, Massie said, was that if the lobbyist succeeded in helping Massie get a seat on that panel, the congressman would return the favor with legislative goodies.
“It was one of the scummiest meetings I’ve ever been in,” Massie said. “I left just reeling, thinking about the implications for how this place works, when you realize that the lobbyists pick who goes on which committee.”
more:
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news...seat/84611932/
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