Lobbyist in the White House
It's hard to spin the revolving door faster than Ed Gillespie, who starts today as counselor to President Bush. A controversial choice, he's helped build one of Washington's largest lobbying firms while jumping into and out of government jobs. Steve Henn reports.
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Lisa Napoli: President Bush has a new counselor as of today. His resume is controversial. He comes from the world of lobbying — that is, when he hasn’t been working for the government. From Washington, Marketplace’s Steven Henn takes a look at the powerful insider outsider named Ed Gillespie.
Steve Henn: Since co-founding the lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie just seven years ago, Ed Gillespie has had seven other gigs either in the federal government or politics.
He managed Bush’s recount in Florida, ran his first inaugural, shepherded Supreme Court nominations through the Senate and headed up the National Republican Party. All the while, Gillespie’s lobbying practice grew and grew.
Since it started, Gillespie firm’s raked in more than $85 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Laura MacCleary: For example in 2001, he set up a front group for Enron to flack for the president’s energy plan.
Laura MacCleary tracks lobbyists for Public Citizen:
MacCleary: Enron paid Quinn Gillespie $700,000 in just 2001.
Last year, two dozen of Gillespie’s clients — from AT&T to Zurich Financial — lobbied the White House.
But Gillespiea€™s told reporters he’ll recuse himself from any issue related to his former firm as long as he’s at the White House.
In Washington, I’m Steve Henn for Marketplace.