John Byrne
Published: January 17, 2006

Both Democratic leaders in the House and Senate will prohibit their staffs from accepting any gifts from lobbyists, RAW STORY has learned.

After Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) forbid his staff last night from accepting gifts from lobbyists, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also confirmed she will ban such gifts.

In an email to RAW STORY, Pelosi communications director Brendan Daly said "Pelosi staff will abide by all our proposed rules."

Pelosi and Reid will propose their ethics reform package tomorrow. The "Honest Leadership Act" ban all members of Congress or their staff from accepting lobbyist gifts. In reference to the fallen conservative lobbyist who pled guilty to influence-peddling, it includes a provision dryly dubbed the 'Jack Abramoff Rule.'

A second Democratic senator and second ranking Democrat in the Senate, Dick Durbin (D-IL), also joined Reid in formally banning his staff from accepting gifts of any kind from lobbyists.

In a memo Monday, Durbin advisers told staff "all gifts from lobbyists -- meals, drinks, entertainment -- and all privately funded travel involving a lobbyist can no longer be accepted by Durbin staff."

Reid chief of staff Susan McCue instructed Reid staffers Monday not to accept gifts from lobbyists. Reid staffers will continue to be able to speak with lobbyists, an aide said, though all travel, gifts and meals will be banned.

Democratic aides say they don't know whether Reid and Pelosi's voluntary ban will be embraced by other Democratic senators, though it is certain to put pressure on Democratic senators to ditch special interest gifts.

A House Republican ethics plan introduced Tuesday matches most of the Democrats' proposals. Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), leader in the Senate, has not indicated whether he will pursue measures of his own.

Durbin's memo said "Democrats need to lead by example. This ethics reform agenda is being championed by Senate and House leadership, and it's important that our actions match our words."

A memo leaked to RAW STORY last week indicates that Democrats' plan to use fallen conservative lobbyist Jack Abramoff -- who has pled guilty in to influence-peddling and is expected to allege abuses by multiple Republican members of Congress -- as a keystone in their agenda to retake the Senate in 2006.

"The Abramoff guilty plea is just the beginning," Reid wrote fellow Democrats in the leaked memo. "This scandal will strike at the heart of the Republican political machine that stretches from Congress to K Street, to the White House and back.... It is becoming increasingly clear that Republicans will face serious negative electoral consequences next November."

"Democrats must stay on the offensive against scandal-ridden, Republican-run Washington," Reid added. "Together, we must clearly and effectively communicate to the American people that it is the culture of corruption created by Republicans in Washington that is standing in the way of action on their priorities."