Lange, Braley spar over contributions from lobbyists

After pledging to “end lobbyists' cozy relationship” with members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley's challenger says it appears the Waterloo Democrat has been “captured by the same special interests he once railed against.”

Independence Republican Ben Lange is charging that Braley has accepted $1.4 million from lobbyists since he was elected in 2006.

That's a “blatant violation of his pre-election commitment to Iowans,” Lange said this week. “Iowans are sick and tired of broken promises from Washington politicians.”

Those politicians are known for their fuzzy math “and Ben Lange is obviously no exception,” Molly Scherrman, Braley for Congress senior adviser, responded.

Braley has accepted less than $70,000 from registered lobbyists since 2006 - less than 5 percent of what Lange claims is shown on Braley's lobbyist contribution reports to the U.S. House clerk.

In what an aide called a “happy coincidence,” Iowans are the ones who have contributed $1.4 million to Braley since 2006.

“Why won't Ben Lange tell the truth?” Scherrman said.

“Bruce Braley calls Iowans the people he works for,” she added. “Ben Lange apparently calls them ‘lobbyists.'”

Most of the entries in Braley's report list contributors as political action committees associated with unions, businesses and professional groups. It also includes 188 entries listing the contributor as “self.” In some of those cases, a specific lobbyist is identified as the contributor. Typical of those is $3,000 from Linda Lipsen, a lobbyist for the American Association for Justice PAC.

In other “self” cases, such as four entries totaling $4,500 from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, the PAC, not a person, is listed.

A contribution from a PAC is not the same as a contribution from its lobbyist, especially when no lobbyist is listed, the Braley campaign said.

The Lange campaign called that splitting hairs.

Besides, regardless of the amount, Lange says Braley didn't keep a pledge reported by the Waterloo Courier in January 2006 to end the “culture of corruption.” Citing the case of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to six years in federal prison for mail fraud, conspiracy to bribe public officials and tax evasion, Braley called for an end to lobbyist-sponsored travel for members of Congress and a ban on federal lobbyists from contributing to members of Congress.

That's another case of Lange misinterpreting Braley, the campaign said. That was a pledge to support an end to lobbyist contributions rather than a promise not to accept those - legal - contributions, a spokesman said.

That's the sort of hairsplitting that breeds voter cynicism, fuels the Tea Party movement and keeps congressional approval ratings in the teens, according to the Lange campaign.

Lange hasn't made a similar pledge but said he called Braley on the lobbyist contributions because “(Braley) made a promise and he hasn't lived up to his promise.”