He is explicitly a lobbyist. Paying lawyers to argue for specific desired legislation is basically the definition of lobbying. And guess what? If Alex did do what he's saying and he didn't report the money he spent, he could get arrested for that. That is very illegal. I like it. Assuming that he's not making this up, he's admitting to a federal offense on air. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, If you employ lobbyists and you're not a non-profit, you have to register with the Secretary of State and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. You don't need to register if you spend less than $11,500, but Alex said he spent a lot of money on this, and it's the top three firms in D.C., so if he's not making shit up, he spent way more than $11,500.