Posted on 07/21/2005 1:13:47 PM PDT by Liz
In 1998.....Kay Elizabeth LiCausi, a 26-year-old graduate of Rutgers....started a job as scheduler.......for Representative Robert Menendez (D-NJ).....who was soon to become the highest-ranking Hispanic member of Congress. She quickly gained his trust, and less than three years later was promoted to director of his NJ headquarters.
But in 2002..... Ms. LiCausi left his staff. Since then.......She has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts as consultant, lobbyist and fund-raiser.
Some of the work was orchestrated by Mr. Menendez, who steered more than $200,000 worth of political consulting and fund-raising contracts her way. Several of her clients are businesses and organizations run by prominent supporters of Mr. Menendez. LiCausi has lobbied her former boss on their behalf.
The revolving door between government and lobbying hangs on a well-oiled hinge, and tales of former lawmakers or high-ranking staff members cashing in on their relationships and inside knowledge are almost clichés.
But what has struck many seasoned politicians and consultants in New Jersey is the speed of Ms. LiCausi's ascent and the scope of her work, even in the state's forgiving political culture.
"This woman starts out as a midlevel staffer and then, all of a sudden, she's the greatest lobbyist on the East Coast?" said Bobby Jackson, publisher of a small newspaper in Jersey City.........
Both Ms. LiCausi, who is 33 and single, and Mr. Menendez, 51 and recently divorced, refused to address any aspect of their nonprofessional lives. "That's strictly personal," Mr. Menendez said.
"The bottom line is," Mr. Menendez said, ......"Do I do my job ethically? Do I work hard for them every day? Do I fight for them every day? Am I willing to make difficult decisions, even in the face of adversity? I think my whole life has been about that."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
NJ politicians are worse than the organized crime the state is noted for...........the politicians are more ruthless, even more greedy, and could care less who they step on.
The mob types are upfront--make no pretensions about being criminals---but phony politicans fool the citizenry, pretending to be altruists, making fake sounds like they are for the people.
LOL To say the least!
Some mens dream though. LOL
Reminds me of some character in Total Recall.
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