Taxpayers Continue To Support Government Officials After They Become Lobbyists
By Dave Gibson (03/21/07)
In the United States, there exists a revolving door policy between government and lobbyist firms. There is currently no law dictating the length of time which one must wait before working as a paid lobbyist, after leaving an elected or appointed office. Consequently, it is often difficult to determine if these people are actually working for the American public or private industry.
Vice President Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton from 1995-2000. Halliburton is by far the largest military contractor operating in Iraq and has a five-year contract with the Army worth $16 billion. Of course, many questions have been raised about the fact that Cheney's former company has been the recipient of multi-billion dollar contracts without ever entering into the usual bid process.
Obviously, when a CEO leaves his position to become Vice President of the United States his influence can ensure that his former company will enjoy undue privilege. While most lobbying which takes place on behalf of private industry is done so by politicians-turned private citizens, Cheney has taken the opposite route.
Until this year, Congress has not seen fit to ask any questions of Halliburton despite many complaints from the military about the quality of service provided by the company as well as a reported $2.7 billion in over-billing charges. The now Democrat-controlled Congress has begun to investigate Halliburton and its relationship with the White House. While the impetus for the investigation is undoubtedly party politics, it is a much-needed action and one that the pork-barrel RINOs would never have taken.
Halliburton recently announced that they will be moving their corporate headquarters to Dubai. This move will eventually ensure that the company will no longer be subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxes, while still benefiting from contracts paid for by the U.S. taxpayers. Cheney has truly been the most effective lobbyist is U.S. history.
It was recently learned that former New York Mayor and presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani is a partner in a law firm which for two years, has lobbied for Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. Citgo being a state-owned firm, it is now controlled by Marxist dictator Hugo Chavez.
The law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani frequently lobbies U.S. lawmakers on behalf of Citgo and Chavez. It is more than troubling that a prominent public figure could run for President of the United States while working as a registered agent for a foreign leader who constantly states his hatred for this country. It is a glaring example of the incredibly corrupt relationship which exists between lobbyists and lawmakers.
Once news of Giuliani's association with Hugo Chavez hit, his law firm was quick in their attempt at damage control. Bracewell & Giuliani managing partner Patrick Oxford told reporters that the former Mayor has not personally met with Citgo's leadership. Oxford said of Giuliani: "He has not seen hide nor hair of Citgo."
It may be true that Giuliani himself has not personally sat down with Hugo Chavez nor with members of the dictator's inner circle. However, anytime an agent of Bracewell & Giuliani meets with a lawmaker, the so-called 'hero of 9/11' is in the room. Rudolph Giuliani was well aware of the incredible influence which a presidential front-runner could wield with U.S. Congressmen when he joined the firm in 2005.
However, it is unfair to focus solely on Dick Cheney and Rudolph Giuliani and their scandalous roles in the ever-growing lobby scam. As you will see, it is not only draft dodgers with "other priorities" and cross-dressing Republican mayors who frequently cross the line between public and private life while getting rich at the expense of the taxpayers.
After leaving the Clinton White House, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright started her own lobbying firm known as The Albright Group. Albright hired Carol Browner who was the head of the Environmental Protection Agency under Clinton as well as fmr. Congressman Tom Downey (D-NY). Last year, those two frantically made the rounds on Capitol Hill on behalf of their company's client Dubai Ports World in their attempt to take control of U.S. ports.
Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) now works as the senior counselor for the global public relations firm known as APCO Worldwide. That firm too worked quietly on behalf of Dubai Ports World. Dole also works for the Legislative and Public Policy Group which helps big business gain access to members of Congress and administration officials in their effort to circumvent complicated federal regulations.
In addition to fmr. Sen. Bob Dole, APCO Worldwide employs the following former lawmakers and government officials:
-fmr. Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI)
-fmr. Rep. Steve Solarz (D-NY)
-fmr. Rep. Don Bonker (D-WA)
-fmr. Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-OK)
-fmr. Dept. of Agriculture official Alison Harrison
Besides Dubai Ports World, APCO represents the government of Turkey, Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Information, the government of Canada, and Russian oil company Yukos Oil.
Former Secretary of State James Baker's law firm (Baker Botts) represents the government of Saudi Arabia. The firm is defending the Saudi royal family against law suits filed by the families of 9/11 victims. For more than 15 years, the Saudi defense minister Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has given large sums of money to the International Islamic Relief Organization. Though that group's offices were raided last year in an FBI anti-terrorist probe, Baker continues to represent the Prince.
Considering that James Baker is on the payroll of a nation which continues to be a fertile training ground for Muslim terrorists and one which no doubt has its eye on Iraq's oil fields, any of his findings and recommendations given while serving as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group could easily be called into question.
Possibly the most blatant case of a former government official taking advantage of the taxpayers was detailed a few years ago by St. Petersburg Times reporter Lucy Morgan. As a result of her investigation of former director of the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement James T. Moore, she discovered the following: In 2003, Moore was still serving as the head of Florida's Dept. of Law Enforcement. As such, he convinced the state to appropriate $13 million to link all public safety radios throughout Florida. In 2004, Moore resigned his government post and went to work for the Southern Strategy Group. He then began lobbying on behalf of SSG's client Motorola to win the $13 million contract he had created a need for as a state official.
It would seem that most of our elected and appointed officials will always sell-out their fellow citizens. It is well known that our Congressmen can be persuaded with a trip to a foreign nation or a round of golf. These people are whores in the truest sense of the word.
Since it would require action by the very lawmakers who are eyeing lucrative lobbying jobs upon leaving office, it is doubtful that this completely unethical practice will ever end.
Dave Gibson
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