DOJ Fails to Act on Thousands of Alleged Lobbying Violations

The Government Accountability Office discovered in an audit this week that the Justice Department has not yet resolved numerous reported lobbying violations, some of which date back to 2014.

Under the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act, lobbyists are required to submit their registration to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House within 45 days of starting their contract. They must also provide disclosures every quarter detailing their lobbying activities, compensation, and political contributions.

If a lobbyist or firm fails to fulfill these requirements, they are initially contacted by the Senate and the Clerk of the House. Failure to respond adequately could result in the case being referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The GAO found that as of last January, approximately 74% of the over 3,600 referrals related to these issues since 2014 were still pending. Additionally, about two-thirds of alleged violations concerning the reporting of political contributions from lobbying firms and individual lobbyists remained unresolved.

“While some of these violations may be the result of minor errors or oversights, the significant number of unresolved cases should raise concerns about the oversight of this influential industry,” said Robert Maguire, Vice President for Research at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), in a statement to The Hill.