The lunch was held at Serafini Restaurant in Frankfort and included lobbyists Greg Higdon, Mary Ellen Horner, Chris Nolan, Terry McBrayer, Skipper Martin, John Y. Brown III and others. According to Moore, neither she nor any party employee asked for contributions or asked the lobbyists to solicit contributions. But Brown told the C-J's Tom Loftus and I that the purpose of the meeting was to ask lobbyists to help the Democratic Party raise money this fall. Brown says the Democratic Party officials made it clear that they were only seeking help for the party, not for legislators who are currently in session in Frankfort.

But the head of one government watchdog group says the lobbyist lunch was poorly timed by the Democratic Party. Richard Beliles of Common Cause says there's an impression that lobbyists will get preferential treatment from democratic state lawmakers if they promise to raise money for the party this fall. He calls the lunch "a bad move on the part of the Democratic Party."

Moore says there is "absolutely not" a link between the lunch with lobbyists and the bills they're advocating or opposing in the current session of the legislature. Beliles says there doesn't appear to be anything illegal about the lunch but "it looks bad." Beliles has previously filed complaints or criticized legislative fund raising during a legislative session, saying it could influence legislators' votes.