Edwards Collected From Groups That Lobby (Not an Accurate Headline)

Edwards Collected From Groups That Lobby
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 1, 2004


Filed at 5:09 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While Democrat John Edwards boasts that he hasn't taken a dime from Washington lobbyists for his presidential campaign, he has accepted thousands of dollars from people in the capital's lobbying profession or their spouses and children.

The givers range from former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, a registered Washington lobbyist, to the head of the National Education Association, the nation's premier teachers' lobby, an Associated Press review of Edwards' campaign finance reports found.

Edwards' campaign said it accepted the money because the donors weren't registered to represent a specific client at the time of their donation, even though they may have been listed as Washington lobbyists beforehand or afterward.

``Senator Edwards' policy is to refuse money from people who might lobby in front of him or other government officials,'' campaign spokeswoman Kim Rubey said.

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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Edwards-Lobbyists.html