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Lynn Gets Waiver from Obama Lobbyist Rules
WASHINGTON - The White House said Jan. 23 its tough new ethics rules won't apply to its nominee for deputy Defense secretary, William Lynn. The decision clears the way for a confirmation vote, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said.
Questions arose about Lynn's suitability after President Barack Obama imposed the rules Jan. 21 to keep lobbyists out of top government posts. Lynn was a vice president and lobbyist for defense giant Raytheon.
Hours before the Office of Management and Budget decision, four government watchdog organizations urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to reject Lynn for the No. 2 post at the Pentagon.
Even top Obama aides conceded Lynn's appointment would require a waiver from new rules that prohibit lobbyists from serving in agencies they have lobbied in the previous two years.
Lynn was senior vice president for government operations and strategy at the defense giant Raytheon and a registered Raytheon lobbyist until July.
His nomination "causes an impossible conflict," officials from four organizations said in a letter to Sens. Carl Levin and John McCain, the chairman and senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee.
But in a late afternoon statement, Levin said the waiver to Obama's ethics rules "has removed an obstacle to the confirmation of Bill Lynn to be deputy secretary of defense."
The Armed Services Committee will still insist that Lynn "recuse himself for a period of a year from any decisions involving his prior employer unless specifically authorized to participate by an appropriate ethics official," Levin said. "I support Mr. Lynn's nomination."
McCain remained skeptical. "Before I can determine whether to support his nomination," he said, "I intend to ask him to clarify for the record what matters and decisions will require his recusal."
McCain said he applauded Obama's more stringent ethics rules, and "had hoped he would not find it necessary to waive them so soon."
The watchdog organizations argued that waiving the new ethics rule is "a frontal violation" of reforms intended to keep lobbyists out of top government posts.
But confirming him without a waiver would mean he must recuse himself from matters affecting Raytheon. The fifth-largest defense company sells $18 billion worth of missiles, radars, sensors, munitions, space systems and other technology to the military and other government agencies annually.
Sitting out decisions that involve Raytheon "would make it impossible for [Lynn] to effectively serve" as deputy Defense secretary, the four heads of watchdog organizations said. They are the directors of the Project on Government Oversight, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the Government Accountability Project and the legislative representative of Public Citizen.
In an effort to reduce the influence of special interests and restore the public's faith in government, Obama proclaimed new ethics rules Jan. 21 that he said are the toughest in history.
"If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on, or in the agencies you lobbied during the previous two years," Obama said. "When you leave government, you will not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president."
Later, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama's ethics rules included a provision for waivers if they are approved by the White House Counsel. He said Lynn "is superbly qualified" for the deputy Defense secretary job.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters he asked for an exception to be made for Lynn because he is the best candidate for the job.
But the rising flap over Lynn and lobbying has raised doubts on the Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Lynn illustrates the "industry-government executive revolving door phenomenon," in which industry executives take Pentagon jobs and are perceived to benefit the companies they once worked for.
"To be frank, the way DoD does business with defense contractors must change because the status quo is unacceptable," McCaskill said. "In my limited interaction with Mr. Lynn to date, I have not sensed a strong commitment to this type of change."
Even so, McCaskill said she would not object to Lynn's confirmation.
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30 Comments so far
Show AllOh, sure! You're kidding!
What's the big deal? He won't be working for Raytheon while in office.
You don't think sending a few no-bid contracts to Raytheon (or it's associates) would constitute working for them?
Ah, Young Grasshopper, much to learn about Government, you do.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
no, really, i think they are serious...he is after all according to Gates, the "best" candidate...
It seems pretty clear that Gates required the appointment of Lynn or he would back out of the agreement to stay on. But why didn't Obama call his bluff or, even better, tell Gates to take a hike? I am afraid we already know why.
It looks like after the election Obama quit pretending to be progressive, or even honest, in any way, shape, or form.
Get used to it. Obama will make a lot of good window dressing but.....well, you know.
In Obama's world there are always well-rationalized exceptions--Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who evaded $34,000 in income taxes and now the lobbyist for the Military Industrial Complex. I'm sure this is merely the trickle before the dam of exceptions bursts.
When will this country wake up and throw all of these bought-off bastards out?
It is difficult to wake up when the corporate media continues to dispense so many tranquilizers. The corporate media gave us a contest of McCain, Romney, Hillary, and Obama, as it slammed all others. The media made certain those were the only four choices with better than lottery odds of winning.
And it all points to a very disturbing fact -- that this country and its constitution were founded on a flawed premise. I believe the founders, and the great majority of well-meaning Americans, have assumed that as long as the truth could be published, lies did not stand a chance. We know now that is wrong. The truth can be smothered, drowned out, by a torrent of lies.
The Chinese and the Soviets were wrong too, as they thought they had to totally control their media to keep the dangerous truth from getting out. I wonder whether the current Chinese leadership is learning anything from the methods of the US plutocrats.
Oh good, its only a rule when its convenient.
kivals
You have a point, but the fact remains that the truth alway comes to the surface in the end. Something both the Russians and Chinese found out. Trouble is, it can be deep sixed again.
I haven't seen any justification for this appointment other than the general appeal to Lynn being qualified. What are the qualifications for this post, anyway? Who would be a possible non-lobbyist candidate? I've been looking all over for more information about why this choice was made, but can't seem to find anything.
"Who would be a possible non-lobbyist candidate?"
Well, Eric Shinseki has been taken. How about Ray McGovern?
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
Making the world safe for hypocracy!
Do as I say and not as I do?
OK, so the Big O has been in power for what, 160 hours, and he is reneging on promises and policy that he established.
Only another 35,000 hours left in his term. It's going to be a long and painful 4 years.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
This is a mistake...poor judgment on Obama's part...in fact this is directly the opposite of what needs to happen, which is that weapons manufacturers need to have LESS influence, not more.
On another post, somebody mentioned Orwell's "Animal Farm." I believe it was what was posted on the bulletin board; "All animals are equal" and added to it was, "but some are more equal than others."
If my ancient memory is correct, at the end of the book, the farmers congratulate the pigs on exploiting and working their animals even more than they had their own. They were invited into the Farm house for a dinner. The animals crept up to look in the window. The book ends:
"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
And awayyyy we go!
He could have had the decency to wait, oh, a week or so at least before violating his own "reform". No doubt he is counting on the media to ignore this and lose it in the 24 hour news cycle. Maybe he plans to do what Bush did; follow each outrage so quickly with another that we rapidly lose count as the destruction piles up.
The idea that there is nobody better for the Dep Secty job than this Gucci-clad, worm-tongued purveyor of death is beyond ludicrous. But what do we expect? Empire has its prerogatives and whatever happens, these must never be questioned, let alone actually challenged. After this I'll send a msg to the White House. Yes, I am bailing the Titanic with a 3 gallon bucket, but at least I will go down bailing.
No waivers!!! We now have someone you could not trust to pay his taxes running Treasury (Geithner). Now a lobbyist getting a waiver under the new ethics rules. Don't start violating the rules so soon. Maybe wait a week or two more. Wow it's been just one week since the new prez took office. Might as well have not instituted the rules in the first place. Obama may become the new definition of hypocrisy.
May I remind the critics that however questionable a choice this appointment was to begin with, the appointment came before the lobbying rules. It seems only fair to grandfather him in. Had he not already been nominated, then I would agree he doesn't qualify under the new rules.
And the Obama bashing crowd goes wild ! I'm sure Obama has a legitimate reason to do what he did. After all, this position is about America's security and we don't want to see another 9/11, now do we?
Terrance Mitchell
Redfield, South Dakota
The only legitimate reason why Obama did this is because he can.
The Department of Defense provides no internal security for this country. We have the Department of Homeland Security to do that function.
So please advise how DoD (and it's Gucci-loafer-wearing Deputy) can prevent another 9/11? There may be a job for you in our Government.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
Ok, so who else would you want to place for that position?
Terrance Mitchell
Redfield, South Dakota
To answer your questions, please see my post January 27th, 2009 12:52 pm
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
La plus ca change, la plus c'est la meme chose!!!
It's called:
[___☠___ W R A I T H E O N ___☠___]
for "good" reason …
You beat me to the punch...!
Wow! That sure was a short honeymoon with cleaning out corruption and closing the revolving door of corporate interests running the government. What's next signing statements?
Poet
A rule that is always broken isn't a rule at all. Why doesn't Obama make a rule that the United States does not ever go to war? Or that the United States does not have nuclear weapons? After all, you can declare anything a rule when you don't have to follow it.
Which is it? Is Mr. Obama a House Negro or a Field Negro?
BTW, we are all Negros now.
Are we field Negros or House Negros?
MALCOLM X: THE HOUSE NEGRO AND THE FIELD NEGRO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQe9nUKzvQ
ray mcgovern for deputy defense sec? the right wingers would rather have bezelbub before brother ray-
woops they did! things are as we see them not as they are. most times but not this time! not even a nyc
minute before this s##t happened. expect less and you won't be so disappointed. obama,s pushing plymouth
rock up mt. washington with a balsa wood lever it ain,t gonna be easy!