The Senate confirmed former defense lobbyist William Lynn '76 as deputy secretary of defense by a vote of 93 to four on Thursday. Lynn's nomination has been particularly contentious because of Obama's campaign pledge to reduce the influence of lobbyists in the capital.
Obama signed the Executive Order on Ethics Commitments on Jan. 20, banning lobbyists from working in agencies they recently lobbied and prohibiting them from making decisions regarding their former employers for two years.
Lynn, a registered lobbyist for the defense firm Raytheon from 2002 to 2008, was given an ethics waiver from Office of Management and Budget, allowing his nomination to proceed.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, was an outspoken critic of the confirmation.
"Throughout the presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama repeatedly promised to close the revolving door and change the political culture in Washington," Grassley said in an interview with Bloomberg. "This was one of his top priorities."
Grassely said he does not believe that Lynn "fits the new standard" set by Obama's ethics rule, Bloomberg reported.
Lynn has agreed to sell all of his Raytheon stock before assuming his position as deputy secretary of defense. He has also promised not to participate in Pentagon decisions involving six of his former lobbying projects, according to Bloomberg.
Lynn's wide margin of approval is not surprising, Dartmouth government professor Dean Lacy said. Because Lynn served as under secretary of defense for the Clinton administration, he had already built a solid rapport with policy makers prior to his nomination, Lacy said.
"Democrats and Republicans had gotten to know him and respect him, so his confirmation is not surprising," Lacy said.
The main problem with Lynn's nomination, Lacy said, was not Lynn, but rather the ethics waiver he received despite Obama's stated views about lobbyists. Dartmouth public policy professor Ronald Shaiko said he also believes that Obama's criticism of lobbyists contributed to the controversy. Obama's lobbying rule was motivated mainly by "political reasons" and was "largely rhetorical," Shaiko said.
Lynn's past as a lobbyist was "blown out of proportion," and lobbyists have an unnecessarily bad reputation in American politics, Shaiko said. He and Lacy both stressed that lobbyists provide essential information to policy makers.
"There are some very qualified people who have been in government who have been lobbyists," Shaiko said.
Lacy said he does not think that public opinion of Obama will change drastically because of Lynn's nomination.
"This could undermine his message and credibility if the Republicans choose to pursue it, which I doubt they will do," Lacy said.
Lynn's appointment as a deputy secretary, rather than a full secretary, also makes the confirmation less controversial, Lacy said.
"I think Obama valued Lynn's expertise over the possible downside of appointing a lobbyist," Lacy said.
The White House and Raytheon could not be reached for comment by press time.
