Trump proposes new lobbying ban: ‘Time to drain the swamp’ in DC

Donald Trump on Monday night proposed a stricter lobbying ban to restrict current and former lawmakers from lobbying the government for several years after leaving office.

{mosads}At a rally in Green Bay, Wis., the GOP presidential nominee outlined a five-step plan that will reinstate a ban on executive branch officials from lobbying the government five years after leaving office, as well as asking Congress to pass a similar five-year ban on former congressional lawmakers and staff.

Trump also proposed to “expand the definition” of a lobbyist to prevent officials from using titles including consultants or adviser to skirt the regulation.

“It is time to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C.,” Trump said Monday. “That is why I am proposing a package of ethics reforms to make our government honest once again.”

Trump also proposed getting Congress to pass campaign finance reforms that would prohibit registered foreign lobbyist from raising money in U.S. elections and create a lifetime ban against “senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of foreign governments.” 

Trump also took aim at former President Bill Clinton, saying he “rigged the system” when he left office by undoing his executive order that White House or federal agency staffers couldn’t lobby the government for five years.

“He rigged the system on his way out,” Trump said Monday. “Clinton lifted the executive order so the Clintons and their cronies like John Podesta could start raking in cash.”

Trump largely trained his fire on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during Monday night’s rally and continued to hammer her for using a private email server while secretary of State amid new controversy surrounding possibly classified emails.

The GOP nominee was surprisingly silent about Speaker Paul Ryan, even as he campaigned in the Wisconsin Republican’s backyard. On Sunday, he escalated his attacks on the House leader on Twitter but largely left him alone during his Green Bay rally Monday night.

Following the recently uncovered tape from 2005 in which Trump makes sexually explicit comments about women, Ryan said he could no longer defend the real estate mogul and would instead devote his time to preserving the party’s House majority.

This sparked the ire of Trump, who publicly chided Ryan and other establishment Republicans for abandoning his campaign a month out from Election Day. Trump has said he doesn’t want the Speaker’s support.

A day before his Wisconsin rally, Trump attacked Ryan in several tweets and mocked him for a failed vice presidential run in 2012.

“The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!” Trump wrote.

“Paul Ryan, a man who doesn’t know how to win (including failed run four years ago), must start focusing on the budget, military, vets etc.,” he added in another tweet.