Until last month she was the director of Congress Watch, an arm of Public Citizen, the public-interest group.

The analysis, by Public Citizen's Congress Watch, pointed up the advantages of incumbency and continual fund-raising.

Public Citizen's Congress Watch, a watchdog group, has asked the House ethics committee for an investigation.

In a 2002 report, Public Citizen's Congress Watch denounced it, calling its leadership "hired guns."

Congress Watch has opposed many of the restrictions on lawsuits proposed by the Bush Administration.

Sherry Ettleson, a staff lawyer for Congress Watch, which has been assisting some savings and loan protest groups, said the bailout issue had endangered incumbents.

- Bob Schiff, staff attorney, Public Citizens' Congress Watch.

Prior to his government service, Waldman was the executive director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch, then the capital's largest consumer lobbying office (1989-92).

Congress Watch, an arm of the Ralph Nader group Public Citizen, goes further.

There he worked on a lawsuit against the administration of Richard Nixon, and later ran Congress Watch (1977-1980).