When a top congressional aide wanted tickets to a Virginia Tech football game in 2012, he did what many people in Congress do: He asked the university’s lobbyist.

“I know the box will be jammed on this, but is there a way we can accommodate him?” the Virginia Tech lobbyist wrote to another school official, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

“Definitely,” the official replied, “since we need the Congressman for a lot of reasons and they are very helpful to us.”

The aide, chief of staff to then-Rep. James Moran (D., Va.), was offered two free tickets for the presidential suite, although he later decided not to go.

A 2007 ethics law bans lobbyists from providing anything of value to congressional officials, but public universities are exempted. That means university lobbyists alone among Washington’s power players can provide lawmakers and aides tickets to collegiate sporting events. The rules stipulate that lawmakers shouldn’t ask for tickets unless they are invited, and should avoid accepting them “repeatedly.”