Several Bush officials work in areas related to former jobs

WASHINGTON -- More than one in four members of President George W. Bush's Cabinet have landed jobs with consulting or lobbying firms in which they can help clients navigate the departments they once oversaw, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Michael Chertoff, who served as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until January, launched a consulting business two months ago to provide "risk-management advice" to private companies and governments. His predecessor, Tom Ridge, also is a security and crisis-management consultant.

Former attorney general John Ashcroft has registered as a lobbyist and runs a firm whose clients include software giant Oracle, which was the subject of a Justice Department anti-trust case during Ashcroft's tenure.

In all, 10 of the 34 former Cabinet secretaries who served during Bush's eight years in office have registered as lobbyists or joined consulting or lobbying firms, the analysis shows. Others sit on the boards or work for industries they regulated. For instance, Gale Norton, who once oversaw 500 million acres of public land as Interior secretary, now is a lawyer in a Shell Oil division for oil exploration.

It's not unusual for former executive branch officials to find employment related to their government work. A 2003 study of 100 top Clinton administration officials by the Center for Public Integrity found that two years after leaving office, more than half represented or worked for entities they had regulated. Nearly one in five had worked as lobbyists — who can directly lobby members of Congress and the administration.

Two-year lobbying ban

Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, said the movement of top officials to consulting and lobbying jobs shows "they are cashing in on their public service."

"No one is saying they shouldn't go into the private sector," she said, "but they shouldn't take advantage of the relationships they created while in government."

Federal law imposes limits on the contacts that former top executive branch officials can have with their former colleagues, including a two-year ban on lobbying on any issue that they worked on during their final year in government. But there are no restrictions on them serving as consultants and advising clients on the inner workings of their former departments and agencies, including how to secure government contracts.

In interviews, former Cabinet members defended their post-government employment.

"I can't go back to DHS and lobby ... but we can share the benefit of our experience in terms of helping people understand how government works," said Chertoff, whose recent hires include former CIA director Michael Hayden.

Chertoff would not release a list of clients.

Ashcroft, the nation's former top law-enforcement official, founded the Ashcroft Group in 2005, which offers legal, consulting and lobbying services. Juleanna Glover, a former Ashcroft Senate aide who co-founded the firm, said Ashcroft has not personally lobbied since mid-2008 and instead concentrates on legal and investigatory work for clients.

Glover said Ashcroft does not trade on his relationships. "The Ashcroft brand is about ethics and sound judgment and rooting out wrongdoing, and that's what he is retained to do," she said.

The firm lobbies Congress and federal agencies. Computer giant Oracle was the largest lobbying client last year, paying $210,000 in fees, according to federal data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

In 2004, the Justice Department brought an antitrust case against Oracle over its hostile takeover of rival PeopleSoft. Oracle prevailed in court, and hired Ashcroft's firm to lobby on anti-trust issues the following year.

Glover referred questions about Oracle to the company. Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger declined to comment.

'Experience that's useful'

Consulting firms are not required to disclose their clients, unless the firms are lobbying federal agencies or representing foreign governments. Ridge, who ran the Department of Homeland Security until February 2005, reported earning $480,000 from the government of Albania in 2007 for "strategic consulting services."

Ridge spokeswoman Michele Nix would not release a list of clients. "The way we conduct business is above board," she said.

Former Veterans Affairs secretary Jim Nicholson has not registered as a lobbyist but works for a law and lobbying firm, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck.

In that role, Nicholson said, he provides "strategic advice to clients and to members of the firm that are working for clients and lobbying," including identifying government officials clients should contact.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with it at all," he said. "People develop a great set of skills and experience that's useful."

Nicholson's predecessor at Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi, is a lobbyist for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, federal records show. He also is board chairman of QTC Management, which evaluates disability claims for the VA.

Norton, the former Interior secretary, referred questions to Shell spokeswoman Darci Sinclair. "We base all hiring decisions on an employee's skills, knowledge and experience, not on his or her policy position," Sinclair said in an e-mail.

President Obama has pledged to shut the revolving door, issuing an order on his first day in office that barred former executive branch officials from lobbying their former colleagues for the life of his administration.

President Clinton issued a five-year ban on lobbying by his former aides, only to rescind it a few weeks before leaving office.

Many Bush appointees have eschewed consulting work. Former Labor secretary Elaine Chao, the longest-serving member of the Bush Cabinet, works as a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. She also delivers paid speeches.

"There are terrific opportunities in the private sector, and I wouldn't rule it out," Chao said in an interview. "But money isn't everything in life."