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A Shadow Lobbyist At The Vatican

Biden’s nomination of former Sen. Joe Donnelly for ambassador to the Vatican illustrates the insidious nature of the “shadow lobbying” loophole.
A Shadow Lobbyist At The Vatican
Former Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Last month, President Joe Biden nominated former Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), to serve as  ambassador to the Vatican. As the Indianapolis Star noted at the time, the nomination of Donnelly made sense because “Faith has been a central theme for both Biden and Donnelly.”

Sure enough, during the 2020 presidential campaign, Donnelly, who is Catholic, wrote an op-ed praising Biden’s faith, noting, “Pope Francis has said, ‘We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, and spread love.’ Joe Biden exemplifies that message each day as he works to lead America back to its place as the moral compass for our world and an example for other nations to follow.”

Donnelly’s nomination is notable for another reason: He is a textbook example of one of Washington’s greatest scams, the “shadow lobbying” loophole.

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