Scandal Lobbying Firm Caught In Further Reporting ErrorsA week ago, we broke the news that the scandal-linked lobby firm Copeland Lowery had admitted to underreporting over a million dollars in lobbying fees. The Washington Post and AP have since confirmed the story for themselves, publishing their own reports a week after ours. AP even gave us credit. Bless their hearts.
Turns out there’s even more to the story: Jeff Shockey, who’s increasingly looking like a desired source of vital testimony for prosecutors, approved bills totalling over $100,000 a year from San Bernardino County*, while simultaneously reporting to government officials that the city was paying his firm less than $20,000 annually.
Shockey worked for Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), then for Copeland Lowery, and then for Lewis again (pocketing a $2 million bonus from the firm after he walked away). Investigators are very interested to learn the details of the relationship between Lewis and the firm. Anyway, it’s good to see a hard-won story grow legs.
Update: *Not the city of San Bernadino, as this post originally read.
