A former lobbyist for Countrywide Financial Corp. began referring members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers to a now-scandalous “VIP” program because complaints about the lender made it harder for him to influence legislation, according to a Congressional report released July 5.
Jimmy Williams, a lobbyist based in Washington, was a frequent source of referrals from Capitol Hill to the program, which gave enhanced customer service, discounted interest rates and fee reductions not available to the general public, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff report found.