Former Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) was "never a lobbyist," according to an amended lobbyist registration document filed Thursday with the Senate Office of Public Records.
As first reported by the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday, Klein’s name appeared on a lobbyist registration form filed on Jan. 30, 2012, disclosing a contract between Spirit Airlines, Inc., and Holland & Knight LLP, the lobbying firm where Klein works.
The Obama campaign has repeatedly claimed they do not accept donations from registered lobbyists. Klein is an active bundler for the president’s reelection campaign, having raised between $200,000 to $500,000.
Klein told NBC’s Michael Isikoff on Wednesday that his registration was the result of a "clerical error," and that he intended to deregister immediately and resume bundling for the Obama campaign.
"I’m not a lobbyist," he said.
However, Klein’s statements, as well as the recently filed amendment, appear to contradict the remarks of a senior official with the Obama campaign, who told Politico the campaign had cut ties with Klein, who had stopped raising money "the minute he became a lobbyist."
But Klein said the campaign had never contacted him.