Lobbyists paid $750K to honor Obama admin.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Defense lobbyists spent nearly $750,000 to honor Obama administration officials during the first six months of the year, U.S. government data show.

No. 1 U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. -- followed by the U.S. subsidiary of British contractor BAE Systems PLC, U.S. Defense Department health-benefits provider TriWest Healthcare Alliance and No. 5 contractor General Dynamics Corp. -- reported spending the most, a USA Today analysis found.

In many cases, the companies underwrote charity events in which the military's top brass or other key government officials were honored or in attendance, the newspaper said.

Lobbyists overall spent more than $1.6 million to honor executive branch officials between Jan. 1 and June 30, the data, which lobbyists are required to file with Congress, indicated.

By comparison, lobbyists reported spending $2.3 million during the first six months of 2008, when George W. Bush was in the White House, USA Today said.

Defense contractors also topped the giving then, spending $1.8 million, the data indicated.

The spending, which is legal, is a way for contractors to build relationships with the officials who influence their industry, said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

"Most of their business is with the government," Sloan told the newspaper. "Spending $50,000 is nothing if it warms up people to give them the next $100 million contract."