DCCC Won¿t Follow DNC's K Street Ban

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will not follow Barack Obama’s lead when it comes to accepting campaign contributions from registered lobbyists, DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell says.

Obama has banned lobbyists from contributing to the Democratic National Committee.

Asked if the DCCC would follow suit, Thornell writes in an e-mail: "No. Campaign contributions to committees are transparent. House Democrats passed a historic ethics bill, and Chairman Van Hollen fought for full disclosure of bundled contributions."

UPDATE: In a city and in a political process teeming with lobbyists, Obama might find the hard line difficult to hold. Republicans are already taking shots.

Brian Schubert, a spokesman for the House Republican Conference, directs The Crypt to comments Obama reportedly made recently:

"They do not fund my campaign," the presumptive Democratic nominee told a small-town southwest Virginia crowd after delivering a standard refrain that blames drug and insurance interests for blocking universal health care. "They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I'm president of the United States."

Asks Schubert: “Is the DCCC not part of the Democratic Party?”