While it seems bloody obvious this should have been the case in the past, Durbin is still one of the few to have done this. I’d hope to see both the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses institute this rule across the board. In fact, if anyone wants to call their member and get an answer, I’ll keep a running tally.
I have a gift from a lobbyist.
While living in DC I dated a legislative assistant for… a member of Congress.
The Beer Institute left a t-shirt. She gave it to me.
I don’t mean to be Dick Nixon giving the Checkers speech, but it seems like leaving a pen, mug or t-shirt is reasonable.
If a lobbyist forgot a pen during a legislative visit, would you expect the legislative assistant to spend time tracking down the lobbyist to return the gift?