Fixing a hole in transparency laws

The last time there was talk of regulating the political intelligence industry, most senators supported a proposal to have consultants disclose their identity and clients the same way lobbyists do under a law meant to improve transparency in lobbying. But the provision that would have called for that level of transparency from political intelligence operatives — floated by Sen. Charles E. Grassley and passed by the Senate 60-39 in an early version of the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK) Act — was dropped in the House after financial services firms lobbied against it.

The Washington Post