July 27, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -  Members of Congress who depart Capitol Hill for a lobbying job have a few advantages: deep knowledge of legislative inner workings, rapport with former colleagues and sometimes, according to a new report, a chest of leftover campaign money.

At least 17 former lawmakers lobbying for foreign governments or foreign political parties maintain dormant campaign accounts — so-called “zombie campaigns,” according to a report published Friday by the Campaign Legal Center. And about half of them have used funds from those campaigns to make donations to the same legislators they lobby on behalf of foreign clients. 

The revolving door between Congress and K Street is well known in Washington. And the cash-for-access culture that expects lobbyists to contribute to lawmakers for the opportunity to bend their ear is also well known. But the phenomenon of leveraging “zombie campaign” funds to grease the wheels for a foreign government “add another dimension to the familiar but ever-expanding story of money, influence, and access in Washington,” the researchers write.

“Donors who gave to support a candidate’s run for office probably didn’t expect that their money would be used to promote the interests of Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Albania — not to mention the former member’s lobbying career,” they write.