The Revolving Million-Dollar Door Open For Congress Critters & The Powerful

Ex-Lawmakers Find Work With Lobbyists

I have to get elected to congress. I do not have to do anything once in office. I won't have to watch how I spend my expense accounts and allowances. I will be able to take advantage of some of the best perks available to government employees, especially if I manage to get elected for 2 or more terms. My unethical inclinations can be fulfilled without too much worry about consequences or repercussions, provided I don't go overboard like Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay or those congress folks that wrapped themselves up in the Abramoff scandals. And after I get tired of being a congressman, or after my constituents get tired of my antics, I can leave office and find a lucrative position lobbying for big oil companies, the pharmaceutical industry, the automotive or steel corporations, the airlines, or even a foreign country like Saudi Arabia, Israel, China or some other alien power that is seeking to play footsie with my former colleagues and smoking buddies.

Then I will not only have jumped onto the cash cow band wagon, but I won't even be subject to the same rules as an ordinary citizen. When I call a former colleague, instead of getting a staffer who's job it is to obstruct my access to the congress critter I am seeking to touch bases with, I will have a Rolodex filled with all their private access numbers... and my voice mail messages will get immediate attention and a convenient, polite and timely callback.

Steven Emerson identified this revolving door way back in the 1970s with a lot of high mucky-muck officials--congress critters, former members of the White House staff, former ambassadors, former agency heads and supervisors--getting jobs as soon as they left office working for the Saudis, the PLO, the Arab League, OPEC, or any number of businesses having large contracts in the Middle East. During the Clinton administration we saw that there were a lot of these same folks working the Chinese agenda. Also, we cannot forget the lobbyists working for the Israelis and Israeli businesses.

Hell, there is more backroom, cigar-smoking wheeling and dealing going on at our expense that there is no incentive for any congress critter to genuinely advocate--with full force, pressure and vigor--for any reform that would kill this cash cow. No wonder our nation is in such sorry shape: we're not running our own show.

The cozy relationships between lawmakers and lobbyists that embarrassed Congress and cost some lawmakers re-election haven't stopped the revolving door between Capitol Hill and the lobbying industry that seeks to influence legislation.

Five of the 39 ex-lawmakers rejected by voters three months ago landed jobs at firms that seek to influence Congress. The hires include two Republicans — Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania and Conrad Burns of Montana — who lost in part because of allegations of ethical lapses.

Federal law requires lawmakers to wait a year after leaving office to lobby Congress, but lets former Congress members advise lobbyists and clients. The Senate passed a bill that would extend that "cooling-off" period to two years and also ban ex-lawmakers from advising others during that time. The House of Representatives has not taken up that issue.

Weldon, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee, was named chief strategic officer this month by Defense Solutions, a defense contractor that consults and lobbies for other companies. One of the company's executives, in a previous job, benefited from federal funds secured by Weldon.

A series of FBI raids at the homes and offices of his lobbyist daughter and her business associates and clients became a major issue in Weldon's campaign. He has said he did not help her obtain contracts.

Burns was hired last month as a senior adviser by Gage LLC, a lobbying firm headed by his former chief of staff and whose clients benefited from funding Burns inserted into spending bills.

Burns lost his Senate seat after Democrat Jon Tester criticized his ties to Gage and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud. Burns received about $150,000 in donations from Abramoff and his associates and clients. Burns, who returned the money, has said he didn't help Abramoff.

REFERENCES:

Restrictions Are Ineffectual

List Of New Jobs Acquired By Former Congress Critters & Officials

Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., who I met when he was campaigning for an election, struck me as an inadequately prepared borderline ultra-conservative that lacked a full range of knowledge and expertise on a wide variety of subjects. Yet, he is now the president of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who struck me not only as an entrenched ultra-conservative ideologue, but also as an incompetent leader who did not understand his constituency is now an instructor at Miami University and Cedarville University, both in his home state.

It is no surprise that Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. is now a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative Christian think tank in Washington. But I have to ask what Santorum knows about ethics or Christianity because he showed that he had no knowledge of either while he held office.

While I do not want to prevent anyone from making a living, I think there needs to be a mandatory 1 year cooling off period prohibiting any lobbying or influence peddling by a former elected or appointed official after they leave office.