Freddie Mac lobbyist held fund-raisers for Republicans (Delay Inplicated)

[Nambe]

WASHINGTON (AP)

The chief lobbyist for Freddie Mac, the home financing giant now in the midst of an accounting scandal, staged at least 50 fund-raisers for congressional Republicans in the past 21/2 years as the company easily fought off attempts in Congress to bring it under increased federal regulation.

More than half the fund-raisers benefited lawmakers serving on House and Senate committees that oversee the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. While such fund- raisers are not illegal, they raise questions about the influence of campaign money on the legislative process.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, whose panel did not act on proposed legislation that would have increased federal oversight of the housing lender, was the most frequent featured guest at 19 of the fund-raisers for Oxley's colleagues, records show. Legislation to regulate Freddie Mac died in subcommittee. ---

The events hosted by lobbyist Mitch Delk were posted on a Web site run by a GOP fund-raising firm. The site offered an unusually detailed glimpse of the fund-raising activities by several lobbyists and organizations seeking to influence pending legislation. But after Freddie Mac became enmeshed in the accounting controversy in June, all mention of the fund-raisers by Delk was removed from the Web site.

Among the 50 events that had been listed were ones helping the political action committees of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, GOP Whip Roy Blunt and Oxley, according to copies of the Web site lists.

Public Citizen, an advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, had saved copies of the earlier Web listings containing Delk's name and provided them to the Associated Press.

Banish bush From Texas Too

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Yet another drip.

This don't look at all good. Either.

[SideshowScott]

2. Well they think they can get way with anything as long as Fox news

Covers for them..We are looking at a classic smash and grab while the news who are supposed to be the police about things like this are being paid off like rotten cops..The GOP are acting like bold white coller gangsters with the whore press playing along as they keep cashing thier checks...