Payment originally made by SBC lobbyist for her part in Oct. 2001...

from personal funds. “She didn’t remember accurately. She had thought up until recently that she had covered it because it is such a small amount,” SBC spokesman said: “We continued to go through records. It turns out the company originally paid her share.” Hill-Ardoin “immediately” reimbursed company, he said. Federal govt. ethics guidelines stipulate gifts from company that has business before govt. official aren’t acceptable, govt. officials have said (CD Jan 22 p1). However, gifts can come from long-time personal friend, even if that person is lobbyist, as long as it came from personal, not corporate funds, officials said. While corporate funds can’t be accepted as gifts, several sources suggested that ethics guideline lapse that such scenario raised for govt. official could be corrected as long as gift-giver reimbursed company with personal funds. Victory earlier this week decided to report as gift contributions that industry lobbyists made to party for her at her Great Falls, Va., home (CD Jan 23 p6). Decision to amend her financial disclosure form to reflect those contributions came after Office of Govt. Ethics offered new advice on how calculation should be made as to which part of gift was reportable. Hosts of party listed on invitation were lobbyists for Cingular, CTIA, Motorola, SBC and partner at Wiley, Rein & Fielding. Meanwhile, buzz continued about party, including Washington Post editorial that took aim at Victory’s event and House Majority Leader DeLay’s annual charity golf tournaments. Such events “underscore the endemic sense of entitlement among those in power to have someone else foot the bill -- and their obliviousness (or perhaps indifference) to why that might be wrong,” editorial said.