State Department Officials Pass Through Revolving Door, Lobby for Passage of TPP

[antigop]

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/27/hillary-clintons-top-state-department-aides-pass-revolving-door-lobby-passage-tpp/

While Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is refusing to reveal her position on the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, other former State Department officials are actively supporting the agreement. They’re just not bothering to reveal their conflicts of interest.

More than 30 former State Department officials, envoys, military officers and White House national security advisers who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents signed a letter last month calling the trade agreement “a defining test for American political and economic leadership in the Asia-Pacific region” and urging members of Congress to give President Obama “fast-track” authority to speed its passage.

Though the officials identified themselves in the letter using their prior government titles, many have since passed through the revolving door and now work at consulting firms focused on helping multinationals with interests in East Asia. Six of those with non-disclosed involvement in ventures that focus heavily on Pacific Rim trade served under Secretary Clinton.

The congressional letter was organized, in part, by Kurt Campbell, a former top aide to Clinton. Campbell served from 2009 until 2013 as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Metadata from the letter identifies the author of the document as Yong Kwon, an analyst with the Asia Group, a consulting firm founded by Campbell within days of leaving the State Department in February 2013.

[WillyT]

1. Huge K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[antigop]

2. kick. nt

[Elwood P Dowd]

3. Same with USTR.

All the government agencies, Congress, and the Supreme Court have been taken over from within. We are toast. Just as bad in many of the states with ALEC writing their laws.

[AtomicKitten]

4. The revolving door is disgusting.

After Mary Landrieu ran on supporting the Keystone Pipeline, she lost her seat but is now a lobbyist for Transcanada. Ugh.

It's no secret where Hillary stands on the TPP; she's just too much of a coward to come out and own it. She participated in writing it, gave speeches promoting it, and a shit-ton of money from its promoters has landed in the Clinton foundation coffers.

The debates begin in August. She will not be able to duck the tough questions anymore.

[antigop]

5. yes, she's a coward on the TPP

She's boxed in.

She can't come out FOR it because she will tick off the unions and people who have to work for a living.

She can't come out AGAINST it because she will tick off Wall Street and her corporate donors.

[840high]

6. ,+1

[Doctor_J]

7. our government is as corrupt as the old USSR

I see no way out

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. The French solution maybe?