Republicans in Congress are trying to entice donors by promising meetings with senior legislative staff, placing access to congress up for sale to those with influence and special interest groups.

The Intercept and the Center for Media and Democracy got their hands on some documents that show National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are are telling donors that if they give campaign contributions, they will receive invitations to special events to meet with congressional staff including chiefs of staff, leadership staffers, and committee staffers.

The Intercept further explains:

…the open effort to sell access to their legislative staff — the taxpayer-funded government employees who work behind the scenes to write legislation, handle investigations, and organize committee hearings — appears to be in violation of ethics rules that prohibit campaigns from using House and Senate resources in any way.

Congressional ethics rules flatly forbid Capitol Hill employees from engaging in fundraising activities as part of their official duties. Any explicit fundraising work must be done strictly as a volunteer, and there must be a clear firewall separating government work from campaign work.

It’s arguably the last fig leaf left when it comes to giving the appearance that campaign contributions are not directly linked to official acts.

A document obtained by The Intercept and the Center for Media and Democracy from the NRSC, the Senate GOP campaign arm, clearly lists the benefits of “D.C. Personal Giving Memberships,” that cost as little as $1,500 a year. Among the benefits: “Invitation to attend events with Republican Chiefs of Staff, Leadership Staff, and Committee Staff.”

“You can’t use resources that are paid for by the taxpayer to service campaign donors. That’s blatantly illegal,” said Caroline Fredrickson, the former chief of staff to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

Caroline Fredrickson, former Democratic chief of staff for Tom Daschle and current president of the American Constitution Society disagrees with this pay for play by the GOP. “This is really, I have to say, one of the more blatant swamp-like activities that’s going on right now. The indication that they’re there in their official capacity is very troubling.”