Hensarling Places Lobbyists In High Positions

Compared to some of his "super committee" colleagues, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) has relatively few revolving door connections. But he doesn't appear to shy away from such ties: the co-chair of the super committee hired a former lobbyist as the committee's general counsel.

We've identified at least nine Hensarling staffers who have also lobbied, including seven who worked in his personal office, as well as others who worked under Hensarling at the House Republican Conference and on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, as the super committee is officially known. Hensarling has been in Congress fewer than 10 years and hasn't had a plum committee chairmanship, so he also simply hasn't employed as many staffers as many of the more senior members.

Perhaps most notably, Hensarling named Mike Bloomquist as the super committee's general counsel. Bloomquist had been the Republican's deputy general counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is chaired by one of Hensarling's Republican super committee colleagues, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.). Bloomquist served as a lobbyist for Patton Boggs during two separate stints away from Capitol Hill and Wiley Rein before joining the Energy Committee in January.

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