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In Case You Missed It, former Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) was recently highlighted as an especially egregious example of a former member of Congress failing to register as a lobbyist, despite her activities since leaving office. “Kelly Ayotte abandoned New Hampshire and dove headfirst into Trump’s swamp, first pushing through an anti-choice judge for the Supreme Court and now taking enormous sums of cash from corporations, then advocating on their behalf with the federal government," said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. "Despite refusing to register as a lobbyist, it’s clear Ayotte is bought and paid for by her corporate benefactors, and Granite Staters will always remember that, no matter what office she tries to run for next.”
Per Open Secrets, 'Shadow lobbying' in Trump's Washington:
Political operatives and lobbyists continue to take spins through the revolving door between government and the private sector under President Donald Trump's watch, despite his pledge to "drain the swamp."
... This phenomenon extends to former members of Congress who advise lobbying firms but don't register, or heads of trade associations who run multi-million dollar lobbying operations but don't register. This can leave a portion or, in some cases, all of a lobbying operation's details hidden from the public. Also not disclosed in public lobbying filings are the millions of dollars corporations and trade associations spend on public relations and ad campaigns to influence policymakers.
... Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is a senior adviser for Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, the right-of-center environmental advocacy group that spends six figures on lobbying every year. She penned a Washington Post op-ed in June plugging clean energy proposals by Republican senators. Ayotte, who also serves on the board of BAE Systems, News Corp and Blackstone Group, among others, has not registered as a lobbyist.
Per WMUR: NH Primary Source: Democrats cite Ayotte mention in watchdog group report on ‘shadow lobbyists’ LOBBYIST AYOTTE? NO, SAYS NHGOP. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics recently published a report on “shadow lobbyists” in Washington, focusing on people who move from government posts to the private sector and try to influence their former colleagues on a wide range of issues. “When an individual engages in advocacy to influence public policy but does not register as a lobbyist, it's typically referred to as ‘shadow lobbying,’” the report on OpenSecrets.org says. Deep in the report is a mention of former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. It notes that she is an adviser for Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a major Republican environmental group that advocates for energy proposals put forward by GOP lawmakers, and that she wrote an op-ed on the subject in June. It also notes that she is a member of the board of BAE Systems, News Corp and Blackstone Group. The CRP report says that Ayotte has not registered as a lobbyist, prompting state Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley to charge, “Kelly Ayotte abandoned New Hampshire and dove head first into Trump’s swamp..."
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