Big paydays begin for outgoing senators and congressmen
At 12:01 today, a few dozen men and women will become former congressmen and former senators. If you know how Washington works, you know that "former lawmaker" can safely be translated as "lobbyist."
Most lawmakers wait a few weeks before announcing their new job on the other side of the revolving door. But for some, the moneymaking can't wait, and they are publicly hustling for clients before the week is over — or even sooner.
Republican former Sen. Saxby Chambliss announced his K Street job on Jan. 8, 2015. Two years earlier, Kit Bond, the former GOP senator from Missouri, announced his K Street gig on Jan. 5, the same day Democratic congressman Earl Pomeroy (who lost his seat due to his support of Obamacare) was announced as the head of a lobbying firm's healthcare practice ...