Imagining A World Without Lobbyists

The President of the American League of Lobbyists, Paul Miller, told PR Week that the controversy over Washington D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is "not necessarily hurting us doing business." Abramoff and his partner Adam Kidan were sentenced in March by Federal Court Judge Paul Huck to 70 months in federal prison, placed on three years' probation and directed to pay $21.7 million in restitution. Miller acknowledged that the reputation of lobbyists is not "stellar" but defended their role as a modern necessity. "There's a real, fundamental need for us. You think we have a bad system now? Without us, just see what kind of government we'd have then," he said.