K Street, though, is certainly not unanimous in its support for Lugar. Indeed, the banking industry is not so quietly cheering his loss and backed Richard Mourdock, Lugar’s primary opponent. That’s because Lugar took the side of retailers against banks in the fight over debit card transaction fee legislation last year.
“Why not support Lugar? Debit cards, plain and simple,” one banking lobbyist explained. “It wasn’t just his votes but his active role on the issue.”
But Lugar’s K Street supporters said that one issue doesn’t define him or tarnish his reputation as a foreign policy expert and elder statesman.
Conner added that Lugar, who has brought numerous staffers to Washington, has not only shaped careers but also helped spark romances. Conner, for one, met his wife when the two worked for the Senator. “He brought people together,” he said.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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