Quick Picks: Car Czar's Possible Movie Role and Lobbying Lost — ProPublica

Quick Picks: Car Czar's Possible Movie Role and Lobbying Lost

April 17, 2009, 3:37 p.m. EDT

Before Steven Rattner achieved the lofty title of car czar in the Obama administration, he may have been the "senior executive" named in an SEC complaint alleging Quadrangle Group, which Rattner co-founded, is caught up in an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving New York's pension fund, reports the Wall Street Journal. Said executive allegedly agreed to buy the rights to a low-budget movie named "Chooch," co-produced by the deputy comptroller, and was then promised a $100 million investment.

Also, the shuttering of Washington lobbying powerhouse PMA Group after the FBI raided its offices last year is being felt in Congress, the Washington Post reports. FEC reports show that three senior members of the House Appropriations Committee, Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN), James Moran (D-VA) and John P. Murtha (D-PA) -- who has ties to the lobbying firm's founder -- saw large individual donations drop 76 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year.

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