PENN ONLY TIP OF LOBBYING ICEBERG
Published on TheHill.com on April 8, 2008.
The Clinton campaign decision to dismiss Mark Penn for lobbying for the Colombia Free Trade Agreement begs the question of the involvement of Grover Park, another lobbying firm staffed by Clintonistas, that now gets $40,000 per month to lobby for the agreement. Joe Lockhard, former Clinton press secretary and Clinton confidente and frequent spokesman, is a principal of the firm as is Howard Wolfson, now on a leave, who is the campaign spokesman. A third firm, Johnson-Madagin, also lobbies for Colombia. They were recently retained by Clinton loyalist Harold Ickes to assist in his efforts to get earmarks.
It is no coincidence that all three of the firms that lobby for the Colombia deal have Clinton connections. Until Hillary’s flip flop on free trade and NAFTA, the Clintons were in the forefront of efforts to secure free trade agreements around the world.
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