LegiStorm

A former congressman from Virginia has registered to lobby for a Russian bank hit by U.S. sanctions.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) left Congress in 2011 after serving for nearly three decades, joining Sidley Austin LLP as head of the government strategies group a few months later. He filed his first lobbying registration last week for JSC VTB Bank in Moscow with Sidley Austin at a cost of $40,000 monthly.

Boucher's firm agreed to provide "government strategies counsel and lobbying" of Congress and the White House on U.S. government sanctions on Russian-affiliated banks. The Russian bank, the country's second largest, was targeted for sanctions last year. 

Boucher has a 1968 bachelor's degree from Roanoke College and a 1971 law degree from the University of Virginia.

Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) has hired a legislative director back to the Hill after she spent just over a year working in government relations for a medical imaging technology organization.

Erin Doty Georges last served in Congress for two different House Democrats as legislative director, Reps. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). She left in May 2013 and worked on the Troy Jackson for Congress campaign before joining the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance as director of federal and state government relations in February 2014.

The new staffer, who first came to the Hill to work for Shuler in 2007, has registered to lobby for the National Electric Manufacturers Association over the last year on issues including Veterans' Affairs equipment procurement, the medical device tax and HealthCare.gov enrollment. The House voted to eliminate the tax this week.

She has a bachelor's and master's in public affairs from Indiana University Bloomington.

The Human Rights Campaign has hired Rep. Cheri Bustos' (D-Ill.) top staffer for a policy position.

Allison Jaslow left her chief of staff position with Bustos in March and started last month at the organization, which registers to lobby for LGBT rights. She worked for Bustos for more than two years and also has experience in communications and press work on the Hill with Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.).

HRC has registered to lobby this year on employment discrimination, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and tax equity issues. Jaslow has not yet filed as a lobbyist at her new job.

Jaslow has a bachelor's in political science and military science from the University of Central Missouri. She served with the U.S. Army in Iraq between September 2004 and December 2005 and again from 2006-08.

Real estate mogul and "The Apprentice" star Donald Trump joined the 2016 race Tuesday, stirring mockery and questions from both sides of the aisle.

These are the top tweets from Congress:

Pete Sanborn, legislative assistant, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.):

"HEADLINE: Donald Trump proves he can work with Congress by filibustering his own presidential announcement"

J.P. Freire, communications director, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah):

"Trump says he's not worried about donors because he's rich. Translation: For campaign finance restrictionists, he's the ideal candidate."

John Cameron Foster, press secretary, Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.):

"URGENT: Please do not compare Trump to Reagan @CNNPolitics@FoxNews @msnbc @abcnews @CBSNews @WSJ @nytimes @politico@NBCNews #AllMedia"

Josh Zembik, communications director, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.):

"Ugh. Donald Trump is a guy who doesn't even walk down an escalator."

"TRUMP 2016 A GUN ON EVERY TABLE"

Aaron Fritschner, staff assistant, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.):

"Donald Trump literally has more cameos in Home Alone II: Lost In New York than every other candidate for President put together."

Nicholas Clemens, legislative correspondent, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.): 

"Watching this Donald Trump announcement for president is hilarious. I think he's making this up as he goes along."

Sean Magers, communications director, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.):

"Can't wait for the call where I find out guy constantly screaming at the Donald Trump announcement is my dad. #Trump2016 #Trump4President"

Jon Corley, press secretary, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas):

"Most non sequiturs in a presidential announcement EVER. Thanks, Donald Trump, for a good laugh this a.m. Also, he loves everyone & eveything"

"'People say I'm not a nice person. That's true, but actually I am a nice person.'" WHICH IS IT, Donald Trump?"

Connie Hair, chief of staff, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas):

"With his strong-arming the car companies, Trump may get the union, blue-collar Reagan Democrats!"

Logan Dobson, communications adviser, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.):

"Once more unto the Trump, dear friends, once more"

Trevor Foughty, deputy chief of staff/communications director, Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.):

"Donald Trump makes me long for the days of Rob Ford. At least then we were laughing at the Canadiens."

Brendan Buck, communications director, House Ways and Means Committe:

"Who do I blame for Trump running for president. Whose fault is this."

A lobbyist for several banking and financial services clients has taken her first Hill job by serving as Rep. Sean Duffy's (R-Wis.) new legislative director.

Rachel Goldberg left Rich Feuer Anderson as vice president of government affairs earlier this month to take the job in Duffy's office after three years. She registered to lobby between 2013 and this year and also has experience in government affairs and environmental markets with Goldman Sachs and Co. from 2009 to 2012.

Her new issue portfolio with Duffy includes appropriations, commerce and economics and public finance.

Goldberg, who has a 2006 bachelor's in psychology from Ohio University, has lobbied for LPL Financial LLC, State Street Bank and Trust Co. and the Consumer Bankers Association over the last year, among other clients, on several regulatory issues. 

The new congressional staffer's job history also includes stints at Lesher Russell and Barron Inc. and Prism Public Affairs after college.