General Motors announced back in June that it was terminating all of its outside lobbying contracts now that it was owned by the taxpayers. But that didn’t mean the bailed-out automaker wouldn’t re-hire those firms on the taxpayer dime.
On November 12, GM brought K Street firm Greenberg Traurig back on retainer, according to a lobbying registration filed last Friday.
The lobbyists on the account include some good revolving door professionals: Ira Shapiro, who ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2002 (he lost the primary to Chris Van Hollen), and also served as general counsel to Bill Clinton’s U.S. Trade Representative. His online bio adds “Ira spent twelve years in senior staff positions in the U.S. Senate, including Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the Governmental Affairs Committee and Chief of Staff to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV.”
Also pocketing your tax dollars for lobbying are former Congressman James Bacchus and former Bush Administration trade official Regina Vargo.
In GM’s defense, perhaps, the lobbying regsiration suggests these hired guns might be lobbying the Chinese government more than the U.S. government
