Washington Post: Obama Staffer’s Lobbying Work Runs Counter to Candidate’s Guidelines, Ethics Watchdogs Say

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The co-director of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in Puerto Rico is a Washington-based federal lobbyist for the government of Puerto Rico.

Ethics watchdogs said that the high-profile role of Francisco J. Pavía appears to contradict the Obama campaign’s ethics guidelines, which forbid federal lobbyists from working on staff. But Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Pavía is an “active volunteer” — not a paid staffer — and can hold the job without running afoul of the campaign’s rules.

Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, have been trying to outdo each other in their repudiation of lobbyists and the “special interests” they represent.

Obama has criticized McCain for enlisting “some of the biggest lobbyists in Washington” to run his presidential campaign. McCain has instituted tough new rules against lobbyists working for his campaign, which recently led to the resignation of five senior McCain advisers, including his top fundraiser, Tom Loeffler.

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