Tea Party used it too in 2010.
A number of prominent former lawmakers associated with the Tea Party Caucus have joined the ranks of K Street in the last year, bringing their small government agendas to the lobbying world.
thehill.com
A number of prominent former lawmakers associated with the Tea Party Caucus have joined the ranks of K Street in the last year, bringing their small government agendas to the lobbying world.
K Street has always been a favored perch for ex-lawmakers, but the recent moves from conservatives are attracting controversy, and coming even as
President Trump and many Republicans vow to “drain the swamp.”
Among the big Republican names making the jump from Congress to K Street is Sean Duffy. The former Republican congressman from Wisconsin joined the lobbying firm BGR Group, a traditionally GOP-leaning firm, as a senior counsel in November and was named head of the financial services practice group. He was first elected in 2010 during the Tea Party wave and left Congress in September.
Former Rep.
Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who retired from Congress after more than three decades of service, joined the highest-grossing lobbying firm, Akin Gump, in January 2019. He is a senior consultant in the public law and policy practice.
Another former Texas GOP congressman,
John Culberson, joined Clark Hill’s government and public affairs practice in March. Culberson served for nearly two decades in Congress and lost his reelection bid in 2018.
Duffy, Smith and Culberson declined a request for comment.
The Tea Party Patriots Citizens, the political action committee that supports Tea Party members, did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Tea Party groups and Trump have long run on reining in the influence of special interests in Washington. And Tea Party lawmakers often clashed with the influence world and a number of prominent industries in high-profile fights.
In the Trump era, though, K Street has seen business grow as the Republican president’s agenda has sparked major battles over trade, health care and taxes. And despite Trump’s vows to challenge Washington, the revolving door between K Street and his administration has been busy.
For critics, that’s a sign that it is business as usual in the nation’s capital.
“Trump’s ‘drain the swamp’ pledge was nothing but a catch phrase, versus the sincerity of the mantra of the Tea Party,” said Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs at Public Citizen, a watchdog group. “It’s unsurprising the members would change their tune after being here for some time.”
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