Conservatives and Special Interests Wrap Congressional Lobby in University Clothing to Skirt Gifting Regulations

The Koch brothers, Charles and David, have been financing a pro-business, anti-government conservative agenda for years now. Owners of an industrial empire that began with oil (as so many do), these two have founded PAC's, foundations, and other conservative money bundlers for any potential state or federal lawmakers that will promise to continue a program of corporate welfare. In this vein, the Koch brothers' most recent endeavor includes funding a "judicial academy" that was formed just this year, called the Congressional Civic Justice Caucus Academy (CCJCA). The CCJCA was launched by the Law and Economics Center (LEC) at George Mason University, but despite being a part of the university, the LEC is entirely funded by a group of right-wing corporate and philanthropic foundations. The CCJCA was the business-end of this LEC, founded to host "educational retreats" for congressional lawmakers under the auspices of the University, an entity which is not subject to the same gifting bans according to the House Ethics Committee. Thus, the Koch brothers and the other bagmen for this thinly veiled conservative lobby are able to wine and dine congressional lawmakers with impunity, pushing their agendas and circumventing the law.

The CCJCA has hosted, to date, a closed symposium on Capitol Hill, a ritzy, invite-only gala ball in Washington, and soon they will be hosting a free, 3-day retreat for congressional staffers to colonial Williamsburg. The CCJCA, of course, picked up the tab for all of their Washington insider guests. Furthermore, the organization bills their events as an opportunity for legislators and their staffers to be "educated on civil justice movements",  and according to Huffington Post, invitations prominently display their affiliation to George Mason University so that there's no confusion as to whether guests can accept their lavish gifts. What's really happening at these events, however, is anything but education. The seminars and retreats feature "guest speakers" from the Law and Economics Center; the same entity funded by the special interests that are pressing their agendas to the lawmaker attendees.

Anything that proposes "educating" lawmakers that is funded by corporations and special interests should raise red flags, not to mention the fact that the LEC's existence depends on the special interest donors whose agenda it seems to be pressing. There are so many unethical things about this arrangement that it's hard to know who is most at fault. The special interests that are funding the group are essentially able to write off their donations as tax-deductible, even though it's technically advocacy work. The university is knowingly allowing this perversion to take place, and is lending its name and status to the LEC and the CCJCA, which could jeopardize higher education institution's freedom of legislative access should this lead to litigation. The special interests and corporations that are funding this are knowing circumventing the law, but then again, that's to be expected if there's profit or influence to be had. Finally, those congressional lawmakers (including Lee Terry, from my own home state of Nebraska) should be ashamed for knowingly taking these gifts, retreats, dinners, etc. They are elected to show leadership, and this is simply allowing themselves to be courted by special interests with deep pockets. I say keep a list of those individuals, for they're the real Washington insiders and crony capitalists. Get rid of them.