The decision was viewed with disappointment Friday morning by good government activists who saw it as a step backward in the effort to limit special interest influence in Washington. Some suggested it could provide an advantage to Hillary Clinton's fundraising efforts.

"It is a major step in the wrong direction," said longtime reform advocate Fred Wertheimer. "And it is completely out of touch with the clear public rejection of the role of political money in Washington," expressed during the 2016 campaign.

The change in the rules, already apparent to leading Washington lobbyists, was quietly introduced at some point during the past couple of months.