The jury in the trial of former Jack Abramoff associate Kevin Ring asked for clarification today about the existence of rules that would have stopped lobbyists from giving expensive gifts to public officials under old lobbying regulations.

The jury gave a note to the judge this morning asking whether a "monetary limit" was imposed on lobbyists for gifts to public officials between 2000 and 2004. Ring is on trial for allegedly giving tickets and meals to public officials in exchange for official acts benefiting his lobbying clients during that period.

"The answer is: no monetary limits," Judge Ellen Huvelle told the jury in response.

Huvelle met with prosecution and defense lawyers today before giving her response to the jury. Both sides agreed that during the contested time period, lobbyists were not expressly prohibited from giving gifts above a certain value.

Nathaniel Edmonds, an attorney for the Department of Justice, did ask Huvelle to further instruct that "giving of a thing of value with a corrupt intent, regardless of the monetary amount, may be a violation of criminal law."

Ring's defense attorney, Andrew Wise, countered that the jury simply wanted to know if the monetary limits existed and the government's requested instruction would be "suggestive to the jury in a way that is not appropriate."

Huvelle denied Edmonds' request for the extended instruction.

Prior to 2007, when Congress passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, lawmakers and staffers were not allowed to accept gifts from lobbyists above a value of $50 per gift, or more than $100 in gifts from a single source in a calendar year. The rules did not apply to lobbyists giving gifts, but under the new law, lobbyists are expressly prohibited from giving gifts they know lawmakers or staffers are not allowed to accept.

The jury continued its sixth day of deliberations after receiving Huvelle's instructions.