Andrew Quoted in Politico re: New Lobby Law and Holiday Parties

Andrew D. Herman, an attorney with the Brand Law Group, which provides congressional ethics advice to lobbyists, labor unions and corporations, said he was at an ethics training session with a number of lobbyists recently.

“The lobby law and, particularly, the criminal element are at the forefront of everyone’s mind,” Herman said. “What a lot of people were saying was that they’re just not going to bother. It’s too much of a hassle. It’s put a damper on the holiday season in general.”

Many lobbyists are planning to use the “personal friendship” exception and host intimate parties at their homes instead, but Herman said they’ve urged their clients to “be very careful” about the exemption.

“I don’t know how it’s going to play out, but I don’t think it’s going to be business as usual,” he said. “The tone and tenor has changed. Sooner or later, someone will get whacked.”

That fear has cut down on the number of parties this season. “It’s a lot different from when I was a chief of staff a year ago,” said lobbyist Jason Roe, formerly of Florida Republican Rep. Tom Feeney’s office. “There’s just not as many of them.”

Link