The Obama administration's restrictions on lobbyists "serve as a constant reminder of our obligation and the president's commitment to serve the public," Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, said today.
Eisen (above), speaking at an event on lobbying regulation sponsored by the Center for American Progress and American University, spoke on "Lobbying, Ethics and The Obama Administration." He said the rules remind executive officials that they serve the public interest, and credited them with keeping the young administration relatively scandal-free.
"The number one most important thing is the belief that the person at the top will be personally disappointed if everyone doesn't live up to these rules," he said.
Eisen said the laws governing lobbying over stimulus money, especially, had evolved over time. They initially covered only contact by lobbyists, and expanded to cover contact by all advocates within the period that a competitive grant is under consideration.
He also touted a new agreement to release information about visitors to the White House. That information will start coming out towards the end of the year, he said.
Eisen spoke to an overflowing audience that included some registered lobbyists, such as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld partner Joel Jankowsky and DLA Piper partner William Minor, taking questions about the standards used when the White House issues waivers to lobbyists, among other things.
Also in the audience: Egil "Bud" Krogh, a former assistant to the counsel of the president in the Nixon White House who served time in prison for his role in Watergate. Krogh has gone on to speak frequently about integrity issues, and is currently a senior fellow on leadership, ethics, and integrity at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.
When Krogh raised his hand to ask a question of Eisen, he noted that "I had your job 40-something years ago." Eisen, chuckling, responded, "I hope it was easier."
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