It's a happy and potentially lucrative New Year for many former Capitol Hill denizens, as the turn of the calendar also brings a turn of Washington's revolving door.
Continue readingFormer government officials hired to lobby as Congress looks to rewrite telecom law
As leaders in Congress announced a series of hearings this June to tackle huge telecommunications issues with a focus on... View Article
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- James Tobin, a former Republican National Committee official, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for his role in jamming the phones of the New Hampshire Democratic Party on election day of 2002, according to the Associated Press.
- The Hill reports that Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is being accused of forcing his staff to do volunteer work for his son, Joe Baca Jr., in a local California race. Baca previously caused a split in the CHC - six members quit the group's PAC - after he used the caucus' PAC money to fund the campaigns of two sons, Joe Jr. and Jeremy Baca.
- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee report on Jack Abramoff's bilking of Indian tribes is due out "sometime in June at the earliest", according to Roll Call. The report will not have any new relevations but will focus on "the money trail out of the tribes and into Abramoff and Scanlon’s complicated web of lobbying, consulting and PR firms, along with numerous nonprofits." The report will also make a number of suggested reforms and policies to keep a future Washington go-getter with the cupidity of a Jack Abramoff or Michael Scanlon from so easily gaming the system.
Congressman Closed Airport for Business Partner:
The Hill reports that Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) “pushed for a provision in last year’s transportation bill that allowed the city of Rialto, Calif., to shut down its airport. By doing so, he paved the way for his business partner, Lewis Operating Corp., one of his top campaign contributors, to buy the land from the city and make plans to build Renaissance, a community consisting of 2,500 homes, parks and 80 acres of retail space on the former airport property and adjacent land.” The owner of Lewis Operating Corp. Richard Lewis and his employees contributed $19,000 to Miller’s campaigns since 1998, making them one of Miller’s top contributors. The airport is located in the district of Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) who is also a top recipient of Lewis money, raking in $19,000 this election cycle. The FAA did not support closing the Rialto airport and a spokesman stated, “This is the first time … an airport has been closed through the legislative process.”
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