SALT LAKE CITY—
Mike Lee's campaign for the Republican U.S. Senate sent a flyer labeling Tim Bridgewater a "lobbyist" at the same time Lee faces questions about his own work on behalf of corporations at Utah's state capitol. A flyer reaching undecided Republican voters asks the question: "In the U.S. Senate, who can you count on to stop Obama's liberal agenda? Lobbyist Tim Bridgewater or conservative Mike Lee?" The flyer outlines Bridgewater's financial interests in companies that benefit from government funding, and it says Bridgewater "worked as a Washington D.C. lobbyist for foreign business interests, pushing overseas issues upon our government."In response, Bridgewater told Fox 13, "I referred a piece of business from a client of mine to a dc lobbying firm and they put me on a report. It's kind of interesting. I was not a lobbyist but registered and he was a lobbyist and didn't register."
Mike Lee says he was not lobbying, but rather "giving legal background advice. Answering legal questions on the part of those I represent." Lee says he cleared his activities through the Lt. Governor's office, which is responsible for overseeing lobbyist reporting.
Fox 13 has learned of three different times others say Mike Lee lobbied state legislators.
Two republican state senators, Republicans Steve Urquhart and Dan Liljenquist tell fox 13 Lee lobbied senators on a corporate trademark bill in 2009.
That same year, Democratic Salt Lake County Council chair Joe Hatch tells Fox 13 Lee lobbied for an initiative in favor of mandating secret ballots for union organizing.
In 2008, government affairs director for the Utah League of Cities and Towns, Lincoln Shurtz, tells Fox 13 he and Lee lobbied on opposite sides of a waste initiative.
Shurtz said, "I know I was getting paid for what I was doing because I was being paid to advocate for a certain policy position. I don't know that he was being paid to advocate as well."
None of the people talking to Fox 13 suggest Lee acted inappropriately, except in not registering as a lobbiest, which is a state civil violation punishable by a fine of $1000.00 and a period of time in which lobbying is not allowed.
"I helped him set up his Davis county organization," State Sen. Dan Liljenquist said, "I don't know who's giving him advice."
FOX 13's Max Roth reports.
