Lobbyists play key U.S. convention roles

DENVER, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Though criticized by both likely major-party U.S. presidential nominees for their influence, lobbyists are playing big roles in party conventions, analysts say.

Steve Farber, a key fundraiser for the $40.6 million Democratic National Convention in Denver is a founder of the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbying firm. And Anthony Foti, a lobbyist for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, is playing a similar role for the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., USA Today reported Wednesday.

In total, five lobbyists, including three Republicans and two Democrats, are in key organizing and fundraising positions for the political parties' conventions this year, the newspaper said.

"Does that matter? Yes, because it influences decision-making in Washington and it's not very transparent to the American public generally," James Thurber, a political scientist at American University, told USA Today.

Farber said he hasn't met anyone through his Democratic Party convention work whom he would also work for as a lobbyist.

"Does it not help the firm? It doesn't hurt the firm," Farber told the newspaper. "Are we doing it for that purpose? No."

A spokeswoman for Foti said he wasn't available for an interview.