Continuing The Tradition
Mr. Bush has nominated a lobbyist from the National Association of Manufacturers to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission. [Cue the "fox to head security of national hen house" chyron.] Although this is not especially startling news, given this administration, there were a couple unique twists to the story as reported in today's NY Times:
A senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association.
The lobbyist, Michael E. Baroody, wrote recently to the commission’s general counsel that the severance was an “extraordinary payment” under a federal ethics rule, requiring him to remove himself from agency matters involving the association for two years. Under the rule, a payment is “extraordinary” if an employer grants it after learning that the employee is being considered for a government position and it is not part of an established compensation or benefits program.
Mr. Baroody said in the letter that the payment would not prevent him from considering matters involving individual companies that are members of the manufacturers’ association, many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission. Nor would it preclude him from involvement with smaller trade groups like those representing makers of home appliances and children’s products that have alliances with the association. [Emphasis added]
First of all, severance pay is usually given to an employee who has just been involuntarily terminated as a financial cushion or to keep the employee from complaining too loudly. While the article quotes an industry source who claims that this kind of payment is not that rare an occurrence for someone going into government service, the payment still looks like a before-the-fact bribe.
Second, while at least Mr. Baroody was conscientious enough to report the payment to the commission as required by law, he made it clear that he felt he should still be able to deal with individual members of the association that had been his employer.
Hello? Mr. Baroody was a lobbyist, and the individual members of NAM were his clients, the very people he is now supposed to be regulating.
Mr. Baroody's nomination requires Senate confirmation, and hearings are coming up before the Senate Commerce Committee next week. Senator Nelson of Florida has already sent the signal that he is displeased by the nomination. Now we get to see whether the promises made by Democrats going into the November, 2006 election are going to be kept
A senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association.
The lobbyist, Michael E. Baroody, wrote recently to the commission’s general counsel that the severance was an “extraordinary payment” under a federal ethics rule, requiring him to remove himself from agency matters involving the association for two years. Under the rule, a payment is “extraordinary” if an employer grants it after learning that the employee is being considered for a government position and it is not part of an established compensation or benefits program.
Mr. Baroody said in the letter that the payment would not prevent him from considering matters involving individual companies that are members of the manufacturers’ association, many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission. Nor would it preclude him from involvement with smaller trade groups like those representing makers of home appliances and children’s products that have alliances with the association. [Emphasis added]
First of all, severance pay is usually given to an employee who has just been involuntarily terminated as a financial cushion or to keep the employee from complaining too loudly. While the article quotes an industry source who claims that this kind of payment is not that rare an occurrence for someone going into government service, the payment still looks like a before-the-fact bribe.
Second, while at least Mr. Baroody was conscientious enough to report the payment to the commission as required by law, he made it clear that he felt he should still be able to deal with individual members of the association that had been his employer.
Hello? Mr. Baroody was a lobbyist, and the individual members of NAM were his clients, the very people he is now supposed to be regulating.
Mr. Baroody's nomination requires Senate confirmation, and hearings are coming up before the Senate Commerce Committee next week. Senator Nelson of Florida has already sent the signal that he is displeased by the nomination. Now we get to see whether the promises made by Democrats going into the November, 2006 election are going to be kept
Labels: Corruption, K Street
posted by Diane at 3:30 AM
1 Comments:
How special.
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