Santorum still seeing lobbyists each week despite pledge to end meetings

[kurth]

Senator Resumes Lobbyist Huddles
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 9, 2006; Page A04

After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), the third-ranking GOP leader in the Senate, has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.

Santorum, whose ties to Washington lobbyists have been criticized by his Democratic challenger, suspended his biweekly encounters on Jan. 30. His decision came as Democrats named him as their top target in November's Senate races, and after the guilty plea of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff to charges of conspiring to corrupt public officials.

But in the month since his announcement, Santorum has held two meetings attended by the same core group of lobbyists, and has used the sessions to appeal for campaign aid, according to participants. Both of those meetings were convened at the same time as the previous meetings -- 8:30 a.m. -- on the same day of the week -- Tuesday -- and they lasted for about as long as the earlier meetings -- one hour.

Instead of being held in the Capitol, however, the recent meetings were conducted nearby. The first was held about three blocks away, at the headquarters of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the second was held around the corner from that building, at the Heritage Foundation...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/08/AR2006030802449.html

[Selatius]

1. If the American people were given a dollar every time this happens,

there'd be enough money at the end of the year to reform education, reform health care, protect the environment, enforce labor standards, and secure Social Security.

[sutz12]

2. Hell, make it 2 dollars

and pay off the national debt.

[acmejack]

3. Sanctimonious lying SOB

EOM

[Hubert Flottz]

4. Let's face it...

Republican = Liar

[SalmonChantedEvening]

5. Junkie.

Addicted to his power broker friends, and no amount of scandal will keep him from his duty: Obeying his masters and profiteering from it.

:grr:

[Virginia Dare]

6. Well, this proves that...

he's a liar and he's corrupt. My, my what a surprise, I thought he was such a "faithful" man.