‘One of D.C.’s Most Influential Firms:’ Influence Peddler, Virginia Home Owner Tommy Thompson Joined Elite D.C. Lobbying Firm Soon After Leaving George Bush’s Administration
MADISON – As Tommy Thompson ponders entering the Wisconsin senate race, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is reminding Wisconsinites that you can’t spell Tommy without L-O-B-B-Y-I-S-T. ‘O’ stands for “one of Washington, D.C.’s most influential law firms,” the phrase the Wisconsin State Journal used to describe the lobbying firm that Thompson joined shortly after leaving George W. Bush’s administration.
“Tommy Thompson’s decision to peddle his connections to George W. Bush and political influence at one of D.C.’s most powerful lobbying firms is just one more reason Wisconsinites know Thompson won’t stick up for them in the U.S. Senate,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate. “Instead of fighting for middle-class families in Wisconsin, Tommy chose to get rich by selling his political sway to the highest bidder at a big-time, D.C. lobbying firm. Wisconsinites need a leader who will fight in the senate to create good paying Wisconsin jobs – not zeros in his bank account.”
Just months after leaving his post as George W. Bush’s Health and Human Services secretary, Thompson was made a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a lobbying firm at the heart of D.C.’s cash-greased lobbying culture. The firm is known to have number health care and insurance industry clients, the very firms that would benefit from Thompson’s deep ties to the Bush administration.
This isn’t the only instance where Thompson likely sought to get rich by trying to influence the department he ran for his new employer. Yesterday, the DPW blasted Thompson for joining a company that had been awarded millions of dollars in Department of Health and Human Services contracts while Thompson ran the agency. The CEO even credited Thompson’s influence and political connections for the increase in federal contracts.
Background:
Thompson Has Owned a Home in Alexandria, Virginia Since at Least 2006. In 2011, Thompson bought a townhome in Alexandria, Virginia. Previously, he owned another home in Alexandria, since 2006. [City of Alexandria, Virginia Department of Real Estate Assessments]
Thompson is a Partner in One of DC’s Most Influential Law and Lobbying Firms. Thompson is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP practicing in Policy and Regulation, the Health Industry, and Public Law and Policy. The Wisconsin State Journal calls Akin Gump “one of Washington, D.C.’s most influential law firms.” [Akin Gump profile;Wisconsin State Journal, 11/16/08]
Akin Gump Has Health Care, Insurance Industry Clients. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, in which Thompson is a partner, has health-care and insurance industry clients. [Washington Post, 8/08/06]
