According to a Washington Post examination, “more and more foreign governments are sponsoring all-expenses-paid trips to countries for lawmakers and their staffs, though an overhaul of ethics rules adopted by Congress five years ago banned them from going on most other types of free trips.”

“This overseas travel is often arranged by lobbyists for foreign governments, though lobbyists were barred from organizing other types of congressional trips out of concern that the trips could be used to buy favor. The overseas travel is covered by an exemption Congress granted itself for trips deemed to be cultural exchanges.”

Roll Call: “If a lobbying campaign is war, then opposition research is the equivalent of elite special forces. K Street deploys all sorts of quiet, behind-the-scenes tactics and troops to influence legislation and policy. The most clandestine and high-risk is the use of political-style operatives to dig up dirt on foes.”

Tim Pawlenty “has been chosen as the new head of The Financial Services Roundtable, a lobbying group, Politico reports.

“The group lobbies on behalf of large banks, insurance companies and other major players in the world of finance. The decision is expected to be announced Thursday morning.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee owns the rights to the Web domain name “jackabramoff.com” and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff wants it, Politico reports.

“Abramoff called the DCCC last week to ask — very politely — if they would be so nice as to give up the name. But the DCCC has no intention of doing so.”

Abramoff has now threatened legal action.

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff told CNBC that as many as a dozen members of Congress and their aides “took part in insider trading based on foreknowledge of market moving information on Capitol Hill.”

He said that “many of those members of Congress bragged to him about their stock trading prowess while dining at the exclusive restaurant he owned on Pennsylvania Avenue… Abramoff declined to name the members of Congress.”