Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) addresses the media outside of her home after announcing she formed an exploratory committee for a 2020 presidential run on December 31, 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Jan 03, 2019
Responding to news that former Democratic Sen. Joe Liebermann--who once promised to never lobby after leaving Congress--is joining the Chinese telecom giant ZTE as a registered lobbyist, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued on Thursday that such a move should be illegal and reiterated her call for "a lifetime ban on members of Congress working as lobbyists."
Warren, who on Monday offically announced that she is exploring a 2020 presidential bid, went on to call for a total ban on foreign lobbying as well, arguing that it would force "countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia... to conduct their foreign policy out in the open."
"ZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese government. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator Joe Lieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No," Warren declared on Twitter.
"Corruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep," the Massachusetts senator added. "We should call it out--and we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way."
\u201cZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese govt. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran & N. Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator @JoeLieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cWe need a lifetime ban on Members of Congress working as lobbyists to make sure they only serve the public. We need a ban on foreign lobbying so countries like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia have to conduct their foreign policy out in the open. I've proposed both.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cCorruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep. We should call it out \u2013 & we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
As Common Dreams reported, Warren in August unveiled a sweeping bill titled the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act (pdf), which would--among a host of other reforms--completely bar foreign lobbying and impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former presidents, members of congress, and federal agency chiefs.
"Our national crisis of faith in government boils down to this simple fact: people don't trust their government to do the right thing because they think government works for the rich, the powerful, and the well-connected, and not for the American people. And here's the kicker: They're right," Warren declared in a speech after introducing her bill. "I'd love to stand here and tell you that this was some sudden drop after Donald Trump was elected, but that wouldn't be true. This problem is far bigger than Trump."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Responding to news that former Democratic Sen. Joe Liebermann--who once promised to never lobby after leaving Congress--is joining the Chinese telecom giant ZTE as a registered lobbyist, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued on Thursday that such a move should be illegal and reiterated her call for "a lifetime ban on members of Congress working as lobbyists."
Warren, who on Monday offically announced that she is exploring a 2020 presidential bid, went on to call for a total ban on foreign lobbying as well, arguing that it would force "countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia... to conduct their foreign policy out in the open."
"ZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese government. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator Joe Lieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No," Warren declared on Twitter.
"Corruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep," the Massachusetts senator added. "We should call it out--and we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way."
\u201cZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese govt. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran & N. Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator @JoeLieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cWe need a lifetime ban on Members of Congress working as lobbyists to make sure they only serve the public. We need a ban on foreign lobbying so countries like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia have to conduct their foreign policy out in the open. I've proposed both.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cCorruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep. We should call it out \u2013 & we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
As Common Dreams reported, Warren in August unveiled a sweeping bill titled the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act (pdf), which would--among a host of other reforms--completely bar foreign lobbying and impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former presidents, members of congress, and federal agency chiefs.
"Our national crisis of faith in government boils down to this simple fact: people don't trust their government to do the right thing because they think government works for the rich, the powerful, and the well-connected, and not for the American people. And here's the kicker: They're right," Warren declared in a speech after introducing her bill. "I'd love to stand here and tell you that this was some sudden drop after Donald Trump was elected, but that wouldn't be true. This problem is far bigger than Trump."
From Your Site Articles
Responding to news that former Democratic Sen. Joe Liebermann--who once promised to never lobby after leaving Congress--is joining the Chinese telecom giant ZTE as a registered lobbyist, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued on Thursday that such a move should be illegal and reiterated her call for "a lifetime ban on members of Congress working as lobbyists."
Warren, who on Monday offically announced that she is exploring a 2020 presidential bid, went on to call for a total ban on foreign lobbying as well, arguing that it would force "countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia... to conduct their foreign policy out in the open."
"ZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese government. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator Joe Lieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No," Warren declared on Twitter.
"Corruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep," the Massachusetts senator added. "We should call it out--and we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way."
\u201cZTE is a giant foreign telecom company that's close with the Chinese govt. They've violated serious U.S. sanctions on Iran & N. Korea. Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today former Senator @JoeLieberman joined them. Should that be legal? No.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cWe need a lifetime ban on Members of Congress working as lobbyists to make sure they only serve the public. We need a ban on foreign lobbying so countries like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia have to conduct their foreign policy out in the open. I've proposed both.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
\u201cCorruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep. We should call it out \u2013 & we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms to clamp down on all the ways giant companies drown govt in money to get their way.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1546477961
As Common Dreams reported, Warren in August unveiled a sweeping bill titled the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act (pdf), which would--among a host of other reforms--completely bar foreign lobbying and impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former presidents, members of congress, and federal agency chiefs.
"Our national crisis of faith in government boils down to this simple fact: people don't trust their government to do the right thing because they think government works for the rich, the powerful, and the well-connected, and not for the American people. And here's the kicker: They're right," Warren declared in a speech after introducing her bill. "I'd love to stand here and tell you that this was some sudden drop after Donald Trump was elected, but that wouldn't be true. This problem is far bigger than Trump."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.