A top adviser to Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) left the congressman this month for greener pastures at one of the world's largest multinational agriculture firms.

Jake Kuhns joined Cargill Inc. as its director of federal government relations. The food production and service giant is notable for being the world's largest privately held company with revenues close to $120 billion in 2011.

For Kuhns, it is the second time he has spun through the revolving door. In between stints with Holden, who recently lost his primary election, Kuhns lobbied at the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. Kuhns saw the intersection of agribusiness and government up close from Holden's many years with the House Committee on Agriculture.

Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)'s chief of staff has updated his personal financial disclosure to disclose his hefty earnings as a lobbyist that were missing in his initial filing.

Dave Hoppe, former president of D.C. lobbying giant Quinn Gillespie and Associates, amended his original disclosure from February to show he made $648,406 in 2010 and $592,675 through October 2011 when he joined Kyl's staff. He is taking a pay cut in his new position as the maximum salary for Senate staffers is near $170,000.

LegiStorm first reported Hoppe's missing salary totals in April after collecting documents March 26. However, Hoppe submitted his amendment on April 2, just days after LegiStorm's visit to the Senate.

A global energy exploration firm has sponsored congressional travel to an oil-rich region of northern Iraq this month, highlighting how companies that have lobbied can legally pay for travel despite a ban on most travel sponsored by firms that lobby. 

Philip Simshauser, an aide to Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) who was among a dozen listed participants in the delegation to Kurdistan, was the first to file a report about the trip. The five-day jaunt was sponsored by Humpty Dumpty Institute and Aspect Energy LLC. Aspect spent $930,000 starting in 2008 to lobby the federal government, which would have prohibited it from sponsoring congressional travel had it not terminated its lobbying activities in 2010.

While most of the trip involved meeting local government officials, academics and business leaders, nearly a full day was spent conducting site visits and roundtables with U.S. companies operating in Kurdistan. The Humpty Dumpty Institute described trip funding this way: "Aspect Energy has given the HDI a grant to organize and conduct a U.S. congressional staff delegation to the Kurdistan region of Iraq to interact with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the local NGO community and media outlets, the U.S. Consulate in Erbil and business leaders."

Aspect has investments dating back to 2007 in Kurdistan's oil plays, according to its website. In 2010, the company began drilling its first well in Kurdistan. Aspect's lobbying disclosures from 2008-2010 focus on the firm's extensive investments in oil and gas exploration in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is a forgiving man, having hired a former colleague's son who had been in serious legal trouble, according to a new story in Roll Call.

Coburn hired Kramer Largent, the son of former NFL pro and former Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.), as a staff assistant despite having a criminal record for "criminal solicitation and sexual harassment of a minor." The crime occurred six years ago when Kramer was 19 and the victim was 15.

Roll Call first learned of Coburn's hire through LegiStorm. As Roll Call noted, a "criminal charge or arrest is usually a black mark that ends careers on Capitol Hill." Coburn said in a statement to Roll Call that he "has seen Kramer work to get his life back on track. ... and recently decided to give Kramer a chance to continue that process."

One aide to Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) is giving new meaning to the phrase "swinging through D.C."

According to his Facebook profile, Alex Finken recently participated in an outdoor swing dancing event on U Street sponsored by the Washington D.C. Lindy Exchange. "The primary mission of the group is to promote, educate and encourage swing dancing in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area," as described on the organization's website. The well-attended event took place outside the U Street Metro station.

Finken joined Hoeven's office as a research assistant in March.