Posted on 06/07/2002 4:19:34 PM PDT by Jean S
Capitol Q&A
Should Leader's Wife Lobby for Federal Contractors?
Ethics Chairman Says Any Interest Group Can File a Complaint
Linda Hall Daschle, wife of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D.-S.D.), is a lobbyist who has represented major government contractors that rely on her husband’s official acts for revenue. (See Human Events cover story, May 20.) Human Events Assistant Editor David Freddoso asked Senators last week if this was a conflict of interest.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for major government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Kit Bond (R.-Mo.): I think that’s a good question. I’ve heard that question raised. I don’t know what her job is, so I’m not going to comment on that arrangement. Are you—I don’t even know who she . . . does she work for a firm?
Right, she works for a law firm . . . some of her clients include Boeing and United Technologies. She used to lobby for Loral, and L-3 Communications, maker of bomb detectors for airports...
Bond: Well, that’s an interesting question.
In your opinion, is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for major government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Russ Feingold (D.-Wis.): I haven’t had a chance to think about it.
Theoretically, Senator—
Feingold: First let me think about it, and then I’ll let you know what I think about it.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, such as Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah): Not as long as both of them act within the ethics rules, no it’s not. In other words, you know, she has her right to be a professional, and to act within the rules, and he has his right to be a professional and act within the rules. And I would find no fault at all. I know both of them very well, they’re both very ethical and good people.
Senator, you don’t think that, however good his intentions are, Sen. Daschle has in mind, on the one hand—whenever legislation involving these companies comes up—his wife’s career, her success, and even perhaps money coming through her paycheck . . . and then on the other hand he’s looking out for the good of the United States. Couldn’t there possibly be a conflict of interest? Should we have to ask whether maybe his motives might be mixed about any particular piece of legislation?
Hatch: I think you have to come to the conclusion that he will do what he believes is right regardless of what his wife’s job is. All of us have various conflicts at one time or another in our careers, and the vast majority of people I know around here will do what they think is right. And if that happens to contradict the wife’s position, they’ll do that. And if it doesn’t, they’ll be criticized for it, but unjustly so. There are a lot of good spouses, family members, relatives and others—
Your son, for example? [Scott Hatch, pharmaceutical lobbyist]
Hatch: Yeah, my son works in government affairs. But he does not lobby me. And he’s very meticulous about that. Sometimes his firm does. And they know that I’m not going to do anything that I don’t think is right. And of course, I expect them not to do anything they don’t think is right. But I have to make my decisions, and they have to make theirs. That happens a lot around here. Because we all have relatives, we all have former friends, former colleagues, former staffers, all of whom mean a great deal to us.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Tim Johnson (D.-S.D.): No, I don’t see a problem.
Would you think it a conflict of interest if Laura Bush were lobbying for companies that want to drill ANWR?
Johnson: That’s her problem.
She isn’t actually doing that, I’m just saying theoretically.
Johnson: I don’t have an opinion on that.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. John Kyl (R.-Ariz.): I don’t know. That’s the kind of question that is routinely dealt with by the ethics committee. If somebody has that kind of question, they should refer it to the ethics committee.
Do you think the ethics committee should take this up?
Kyl: Well, the ethics committee, as I understand it, will take up any question that has any degree of merit. They may summarily dispose of it after they’ve taken it up, but they have the jurisdiction to consider issues of conflict.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, such as Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Ben Nelson (D.-Neb.): Well, I certainly have not had any lobbying done of me, so I have no position on it. No opinion. I haven’t been lobbied on it. So I don’t know that she is lobbying on behalf. She may represent people, but she hasn’t lobbied me.
She doesn’t actually lobby the Senate. According to the Senate records, she lobbies for Boeing . . . and other companies that are government contractors, and therefore, the actions of her husband in scheduling and taking votes has an effect on whether her clients get revenue or not.
Nelson: I don’t know. No one’s asked me to do anything on their behalf. I’ve weighed the issue on its merits, as I think my colleagues have, and without regard to it. . . .
Right, but even with the best intentions, don’t you think there could be a conflict of interest there?
Nelson: Well, there’s a difference between somebody saying there could be and there is. I don’t see the conflict. . . . I just don’t understand it.
Would you think it a conflict of interest, theoretically, if Laura Bush were to lobby for companies that wanted to drill for oil in ANWR?
Nelson: Well, there’s a difference between the President of the United States and a member of Congress, even if you’re an official within the Congress such as majority or minority leader. But these speculative questions, you have to ask what they do, if there are people who have conflicts of interest who don’t lobby. In this case, you may call it a lobbyist if you want, I’ve never been lobbied.
Right. She never lobbies the Senate.
Nelson: I mean, not Laura Bush, I mean, I’ve never been lobbied by Linda Daschle.
Right.
Nelson: So I don’t see the conflict. She never asked me to do anything. She never talked to me about doing anything. I don’t see the conflict.
Excuse me, Senator Roberts, if you have a moment—
Senate Ethics Chairman Pat Roberts (R.-Kan.): What are you asking about? Let me see that, will you?
Here. (Hands him a piece of paper with the question written on it.)
Roberts: Let me read this. "Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?" Well who is that?
Senator Daschle.
Roberts: Oh, I’m not going to comment on that, I don’t think.
Do you think that the ethics committee should set up some kind of rule about that?
Roberts: All you’ve got to do is have any individual in the Senate make a complaint, or any outside interest group can make a complaint, and the ethics committee will take it up.
Is it a conflict of interest for the wife of the Senate majority leader to lobby for government contractors, like Boeing and Loral, that depend on his official acts for revenue?
Sen. Ron Wyden (D.-Ore.): I’m not familiar with anything like that.
. . . Would you think it a conflict of interest if Laura Bush were lobbying for oil companies that want to drill ANWAR.
Wyden: I’m not familiar with anything like that either.
Boy, they're awfully good at playing dumb.
Regards,
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