Three D.C. Council members — including Chairman Kwame R. Brown — accused of violating local laws, engaged as their legal representative a lawyer who also lobbies the legislature and is affiliated with nonprofit organizations receiving District government contracts. Yet none of the other legislators has publicly raised any questions, providing indisputable evidence of the council’s malfunctioning ethical compass. Frederick D. Cooke Jr., registered as a lobbyist in 2010 and 2011 with the Office of Campaign Finance. He represents Clear Channel Outdoor, which bills itself as the “world’s largest outdoor advertiser with over 800,000 out-of-home displays.”
Between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2010, Cooke earned about $25,000 lobbying for Clear Channel Outdoor, according to documents filed with the OCF. By his own admission, he lobbied the council on June 30. In a January 2011 report, he said he earns $450 an hour from the company.
