After Taking Money From Lobbyists, DesJarlais Gets On Government Oversight Committee
On December 21, it was announced that freshman U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais had won a seat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. What kind of oversight and reform will DesJarlais pursue as a member of that committee?
Just days before the announcement, DesJarlais went from his district in Tennessee to the Washington D.C. office of Tim Locke. Locke is has been a lobbyist with the Smith-Free Group, working for, among others, the Entertainment Software Association.
DesJarlais wasn’t just going to Washington D.C. to meet with one lobbyist, of course. Locke had arranged for a Meet and Greet Luncheon – a fundraising event – exclusively for the benefit of Scott DesJarlais. At that meeting, DesJarlais spoke with many lobbyists who had plenty of ideas for legislation to reform the government – reforms that would be of financial benefit their corporate clients. The lobbyists brought much more than just ideas, though. They also brought money, to place in the hands of DesJarlais.
What might the Entertainment Software Association see in Scott DesJarlais? One of his core campaign promises was to unravel “intrusive government regulation”. That position could be quite convenient for groups like the Entertainment Software Association, placed on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Of course, plenty of other corporations would benefit from the passion DesJarlais carries for dismantling the government regulations that protect American workers, American consumers and American natural resources. Among those would be the huge financial institutions Tim Locke has represented – companies like Mastercard, HSBC and Bank of America, seeking to weaken bankruptcy protections for unemployed Americans.
