Biden’s son ends D.C. lobby work

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son Hunter has stopped working as a federal lobbyist, work that had made him a Republican target in the presidential contest.

“I no longer expect to act as a federal lobbyist,” Hunter Biden said in a letter to the clerk of the House and the Senate Office of Public Records. The letter is dated Aug. 25 and was made public Friday.

Barack Obama, who chose Biden as his running mate last month, has been a vocal critic of rival John McCain’s ties to lobbyists. In a television ad Friday, Obama repeated criticisms of McCain for having current and former prominent lobbyists on his campaign staff.

Obama has refused to accept contributions from federal lobbyists, though some have advised his campaign.

Hunter Biden and his lobbying firm, Oldaker, Biden & Belair, have represented colleges and hospitals, mainly in an effort to secure money for them in appropriations bills. In June, Biden also signed on as a lobbyist for a law firm that represents a billionaire couple who run an Internet gambling business.

The law firm, Sharp & Barnes, represents Russell DeLeon and his wife, Ruth Parasol, according to lobbying records.