CME Group’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and the former Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT) PAC represent a formidable force in Washington, which are bolstered by lobbying efforts as well as individual donations from numerous executives of CME Group, an analysis by FO Week shows.Exactly how much political clout CME is able to wield in Congress and the White House is debatable. But in analysing dozens of filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), FO Week has discovered that there is consistent financial support which sources say allows the exchange access to key members of Congress. There is nothing unusual about the connections between exchange PACs, or any PAC for that matter, and Congress, although critics of the system say such payments create inherent pay-to-play conflicts.“It’s really an opportunity to meet with members of the House and Senate to get our message across,” said CME spokesperson Allan Schoenberg. “And it’s about...