LegiStorm

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) is a man surrounded by lawyers. 

Besides the usual attorneys that lawmakers typically hire in their D.C. office (he has at least two there), Fattah's campaign has multiple law firms responding to routine campaign matters, as well as a criminal inquiry about a scheme to funnel money through various Fattah-linked nonprofits to pay back a loan to his 2007 mayoral campaign.

Fattah has an unusual distinction: he is one of only two members of the House to have his top lawyer in the district office. And he is the only one with both a chief counsel and a deputy chief counsel in the district office. Both are part-time.

That their legal expertise is in an area where Fattah needs legal help now - criminal law - is not relevant to their job duties, a Fattah spokeswoman says.

"Not unlike their counterparts in other congressional offices, their work encompasses a variety of casework and constituent services on behalf of individuals and organizations in the district, and helping them navigate the complexities of interfacing with the federal government," the Fattah aide said by email. "Neither one are currently representing him - nor have ever represented him - in any capacity on personal legal matters."

A close former Fattah aide, Gregory Naylor, pleaded guilty in August to participating in a campaign finance fraud scheme and detailed the plan. Naylor admitted to conspiring in the scheme with his boss, whose description matches Fattah's.

Fattah's chief counsel in Philadelphia, Michael A. Walker, joined the staff in 2011. His LinkedIn profile shows his law office specializes in criminal defense, personal injury and employment law and he is a past general counsel and vice president of programs for the Urban League of Philadelphia.

For Fattah, Walker says on LinkedIn he advises on "critical issues" facing greater Philadelphia.

Attorney Sonte Reavis is deputy chief counsel in Fattah's Philadelphia office and started with Fattah in 1999. He practices criminal defense and civil trial law, according to his firm's website.

Reavis is a cousin to a colleague at the firm, Donyale Reavis, according to Philly.com. Donyale Reavis led CORE, one of the nonprofits implicated in the campaign finance fraud plan, after the period of the alleged scheme. A University of Pennsylvania profile in 2005 identified Naylor as her mentor.

FEC filings show Fattah's campaign has paid the firm of Fattah's personal attorney, Luther Weaver, $40,000 for legal services so far this year. Fattah's campaign has also paid out at least $46,867 in other legal fees this year to four other firms. Additionally, the campaign paid Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing firm, $16,845 for research.

House ethics rules allow for campaign funds to be used by representatives to "defend legal actions arising out of his or her campaign, election or the performance of official duties."

Only 45 congressional offices, 15 Democratic and 30 Republican, have never had a former lobbyist on staff, a LegiStorm analysis shows.

In Congress, the lines between lobbyist and staffer often blur as aides move with ease between Capitol Hill and K Street. Forty-two representatives and three senators have so far avoided the revolving door, and all were elected in the past five years.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stand alone in the Senate for never hiring lobbyists on their staffs, though Kaine and Warren have both employed former lobbyists on a campaign, committee or other organization outside of Congress.

Of the 45 who have never had lobbyists work for them in Congress, 38 are not known to have ever employed a lobbyist outside of Capitol Hill, according to LegiStorm's records. 

A much larger portion of the Senate and House offices, 311, do not currently have a revolving door lobbyist on staff. They are split nearly evenly between the parties, with 143 Democrats, 167 Republicans and one Independent.

Among offices with the fewest all-time lobbyists, only three members elected before 2000 have employed two or fewer lobbyists on their congressional staffs. Rep. Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa has had one, while Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have hired two each.

On the opposite side, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) takes the lead with most all-time lobbyists on staff at 46 while both the Senate minority and majority leaders have slots in the top five. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is second with 45 all-time, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is third with 42, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is fourth with 41 and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is fifth with 40.

Search LegiStorm's revolving door data here.

As Ebola seizes the attention of official Washington, the fight begins for federal dollars. Cue the lobbyists.

Two former Senate staffers with the international law and lobbying firm Dentons have a new client that makes equipment that might be helpful in fighting the deadly disease. Sander Lurie and Mark Weller filed lobbying papers Monday saying they are representing Zimek, which makes anti-microbial misters for decontaminating enclosed spaces.

Before becoming lobbyists, Lurie served as chief of staff to Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and as deputy staff director for the Senate Budget Committee. Weller worked as legislative director for Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.).

Zimek has hired the firm for discussions on the Hill regarding "preventing the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases using Zimek's infection control and biohazard remediation misting technology." The Department of Homeland Security has used Zimek machinery in the past, according to the company's website, though it does not say whether its products are effective against Ebola specifically. 

Zimek's misters were the subject of some controversy in 2011, when the EPA placed a temporary halt on their use in New Jersey following several health complaints from medical workers. A subsequent investigation did not prove a connection between the machines and the reported symptoms. 

The #Ebola hashtag took over the top spot on Capitol Hill last week, with more than 1,200 tweets by current and former members and their staffs mentioning the deadly virus since last Monday.

But a few staffers this month interrupted somber Twitter feeds with light-hearted takes on Ebola. A few of their greatest hits:

Andrew J. Kugle, Staff Assistant for Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.)

When #Ebola turns into the zombie virus, I will be able to tell "I told you so" to soooo many people!

— Andrew Kugle (@Google_Kugle20) October 15, 2014

Chris Peleo-Lazar, Correspondence Manager for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

@LEBassett I'm pretty sure you can get Ebola on a TARDIS. We should stop that.

— Chris Peleo-Lazar (@ChrisPeleoLazar) October 16, 2014

J.P. Freire, Communications Director/Speechwriter,  Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.)

If there is an Ebola czar are there also Ebola bolsheviks? ...Ebolasheviks?

— J.P. Freire (@JPFreire) October 17, 2014

Donny Ferguson, Press Secretary,  Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas)

I mixed Pop Rocks and Coke #AndNowIHaveEbola

— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) October 18, 2014

Amy E. Phillips Bursch, Senior Adviser,  Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)

@InternetEh @JohnPiper I like to eat an Ebola of ice cream.

— Amy Boo (@APBBlue) October 10, 2014

Lydia Hall may have joined the office of Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) at a relatively junior level, but she already has experience as a registered lobbyist.

Kuster's newest legislative correspondent held two congressional internships in college, first with Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) and then with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), before graduating in 2008. She then went to work for two prominent D.C. law and lobbying firms, Bryan Cave LLC and Drinker, Biddle and Reath.

At Drinker Biddle, she held the title legislative assistant and registered as a lobbyist. Hall worked primarily on health-related issues, representing clients such as the National Psoriasis Foundation, Advocate Health Care and Spina Bifida Association of America.

Hall graduated from Tufts University, and last year received a master's in sociology and education from Columbia University Teachers College.