SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
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)
Slamming Joe Lieberman for Joining Chinese Telecom Giant, Warren Calls for 'Lifetime Ban' on Members of Congress Becoming Lobbyists
"Corruption in Washington isn't about a single president or political party. It runs deep. We should call it out—and we should pass my sweeping anti-corruption reforms."
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."
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."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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."
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."
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.