FUND-RAISING HEARINGS

By GABRIEL SNYDER

Before Fred Thompson became a celebrity in his biggest role ever--a hard-nosed U.S. Senator rooting out foreign influences in American politics--he was just a little ol' lawyer with Arent Fox, a D.C. firm that at the time did legal and lobbying work for several foreign governments and various overseas corporations. According to documents Thompson and Arent Fox filed with the Department of Justice, Thompson's duties included lobbying for Haitian President JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, who hired Arent Fox in October 1991 shortly after his government was overthrown by a military coup. As the firm lobbied U.S. officials to bolster support for Aristide's return to power, Thompson pitched in by calling JOHN SUNUNU, chief of staff for the Bush White House, to discuss Aristide's case. TOM DAFFRON, Thompson's chief of staff, says there is absolutely, totally, nothing similar between foreign governments seeking to influence U.S. policy by hiring a lobbyist and foreign governments seeking to influence U.S. policy by giving campaign contributions. "One's legal, and the other is illegal," he explains.

--By Gabriel Snyder