BLACK A19
DAILY 03-11-10 MD SU A19 BLACK
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010 KLMNO S A19
THE FED PAGE
THE INFLUENCE INDUSTRY
Dan Eggen
Patton Boggs to get even bigger with Breaux-Lott acquisition
W
ashington’s biggest lobbying firm is on
the verge of getting even bigger. Patton
Boggs LLP, which rang up nearly
$40 million in lobbying last year, is in
Setting a higher bar at the White House
negotiations to purchase the Breaux-Lott
Leadership Group, according to sources familiar
with the talks.
Breaux-Lott — named for its founders, former
U.S. senators John Breaux (D-La.) and Trent Lott T
he White House social secretary job has often harsh rhetoric against Wall Street.
gone to influential political supporters of the “If you’re having problems with high donor
president. Lea Berman, a top Republican maintenance and you’re going into an election cycle,
(R-Miss.) — already has a close fundraiser along with her lobbyist husband, held the who better to be in charge of White House social
relationship with the Patton position during President George W. Bush’s functions than your chief fundraiser?” said Melanie
Boggs behemoth, with the two administration, while longtime Democratic politico Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility
firms operating in a “strategic and former Bloomingdale’s executive Ann Stock filled and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group.
relationship” for the past two the job during the early Clinton years. Even so, Sloan and other public-interest advocates
years. Thomas Hale Boggs Jr., But President Obama’s new social secretary, acknowledge that it’s hardly the first time a White
the larger firm’s chairman, has Julianna Smoot, sets a new bar in bringing powerful House has turned to a staunch political supporter or
particularly close ties with connections to the job. Smoot, 42, served as national operative to serve in the social secretary’s role.
Breaux, who left Patton Boggs finance director for Obama’s $750 million Smoot’s predecessor, Desiree Rogers, was a
to partner with Lott. presidential campaign, overseeing the single consummate Obama insider who helped raise money
While Patton Boggs has long largest accumulation of political and attract supporters within Chicago’s business
held the title as K Street’s contributions in U.S. history. community. Rogers announced her departure this
largest and most influential Smoot, in other words, was in charge of month after a string of controversies, including the
lobbying firm, Breaux-Lott is a wooing and managing many of the same state dinner fiasco that occurred when a Virginia
smaller, family-dominated high-dollar donors and bundlers who would couple crashed a White House event for India. The
operation that reported just most like to be invited to state dinners and White House quickly named Smoot as her successor.
less than $11 million in other White House events. The North Carolina native has worked for a who’s
lobbying in 2009. The firm was To some good-government activists, who of Democrats, including serving as finance
formed in January 2008, the move seems contrary, at least in director for the 1998 Senate campaign of John
shortly after Lott left the spirit, to Obama’s repeated vows to Edwards (D-N.C.) and helping to raise an astonishing
The firm, Senate, and includes both of curb the influence of special $21 million for the failed 2004 Senate reelection
named for the founders’ sons and a interests in Washington. The campaign of Tom Daschle (D-S.D.). Early in her
founders John former Lott aide on its payroll. appointment also comes amid career, Smoot also worked at the American
Breaux, top, Neither firm responded to grumbling from some of Association of Trial Lawyers (now the American
and Trent Lott, requests for comment Obama’s moneyed Association of Justice), which ranks as one of the
has a close Wednesday on the state of supporters, who complain most powerful lobbying groups in Washington.
relationship merger negotiations. Sources they have not enjoyed the A White House spokeswoman said Smoot “will
with Patton familiar with the talks said the kind of White House access continue on the path laid out over the last 14 months
Boggs LLP. two sides are nearing a deal. they had hoped for and who of building events here that reflect the Obamas’ vision
Stay tuned . . . have bristled at the for an open White House.” Most events will be
administration’s increasingly focused on “young people,” she said. Smoot has not
spoken publicly since being named to the post.
The two firms have
Mary Boyle of Common Cause, the nonpartisan
Julianna Smoot, who advocacy group, said her organization has adopted a
been operating in a
served as national finance wait-and-see approach, noting that “experience in
director for Barack social and fundraising circles” comes with the job.
“strategic
Obama’s $750 million “Donors are going to get in to see Obama regardless
presidential campaign, of who is the social secretary,” Boyle said. “But if there
will oversee the White is some indication that the White House doors start
relationship” for the
House social scene. closing and the only people who get in are donors,
then that will be a concern.”
past two years.
eggend@washpost.com
RICKY CARIOTI/THE WASHINGTON POST
Embassy in Kabul under strain
Report says overworked staffers
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face ‘serious challenges’ in meeting
administration’s growing demands
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by Karen DeYoung
The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, which may soon
overtake its counterpart in Iraq as the world’s biggest
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challenges in meeting the Administration’s deadline
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the embassy’s staff from 320 U.S. federal civilian em- Although it noted that such trips are important to
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ployees early last year to more than 1,000 this spring build support for administration policy, the report
had further strained the housing, food, security and said “it is not unusual for the Embassy to host multi-
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is projected to reach 1,300 by the end of 2010. plete with individual tours of the war zone, separate
The jump in civilian staff numbers is designed to representational events, and sequential meetings
match a rapid increase in military deployments to with the same Afghan Government representatives.”
Afghanistan and to create a “vibrant civ-mil part- Washington officials, it said, also appeared oblivi-
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nership.” But “new staff is arriving in Afghanistan be- ous to the 9
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officers, “many of whom have never worked in the In Baghdad, the new embassy compound still
government,” the report said. crowds 1,100 people into 700 one-bedroom apart-
“The technician was first “I have never had such a pleasant “This is the second time
When inspectors visited in September and Octo- ments. Christopher R. Hill, the U.S. ambassador to
ber, the report said, no officer in the embassy’s politi- Iraq, said during a recent visit to Washington that
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friendly. No surprises or tires and dealing with the cost to everyone.”
were on their first political reporting tour. Many had previously housed.
not received a handover memo from their predeces- “But in the long run,” Hill said, “we’re not going to
hidden charges.” and time, but you guys made it —Deborah C., Ford Explorer
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The ongoing demand for more personnel has know, I didn’t have that great a time in college.”
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meant that hiring orders are sometimes approved The Baghdad embassy, set to take over hundreds
without designated jobs. In one case the inspectors of tasks now assigned to U.S. military forces depart-
cited, an agency had requested authorization “to cre- ing Iraq, is due to expand to 1,300 “in the short run
ate up to ten full-time positions in Afghanistan but before it comes down in the longer run,” Hill said.
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had not yet decided what those positions would do In Afghanistan, the existing embassy compound
when the employees actually arrived in country.” has been expanded into adjoining property now
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Inspectors also noted “a lack of planning on how packed with trailers. Regardless of whether officials
to link new, generously funded programs with an ap- are based in Kabul or in provincial reconstruction
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propriate number of implementing officers and with teams paired with military units outside the capital,
sufficient officers to provide the requisite oversight.” security concerns often prevent them from devel-
The report described overall morale at the embas- oping relations with Afghans. That problem, the re-
sy as “challenged” by routine 80-hour workweeks port said, is exacerbated by the rapid turnover of per-
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that left many sleep-deprived. A constant stream of sonnel. Standard one-year tours of duty include two
visitors — on trips described as “war tourism” by un- months of rest time outside Afghanistan.
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a71 Federal Worker: Official wins over tough crowd; guards under scrutiny. B3
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