Among Lt. Gov. Jim Risch’s campaign meetings in Washington, D.C. today for his U.S. Senate campaign is a luncheon fundraiser hosted by two D.C. lobbyists, Jeffrey Kimbell and Rick Murphy. The event, from 12-1:30, costs $1,500 for a PAC or $1,000 for an individual, according to the invitation, is limited to “12 guests,” and will be held at the “RB Murphy & Associates TownHouse.”

According to a recent USA Today article, it’s something of a trend for lobbying firms to host fundraisers at townhouses they’ve purchased and fixed up near the Capitol. Reported the paper, “In the past decade, 18 lobbying firms, corporations and labor unions have purchased town houses or leased office space near the Capitol, joining more than a dozen others that had operated there for years, according to real estate records. Despite a strict new ban on gifts to lawmakers, lobbyists routinely use these prime locations to legally wine and dine members of Congress while helping them to raise money, campaign records show. The lawmakers get a venue that is often free or low-cost, a short jaunt from the Capitol. The lobbyists get precious uninterrupted moments with lawmakers.”

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