Politico’s Kenneth P. Vogel and Chris Frates report:
No political appointee, Obama’s transition team has declared, “will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years.”
Taylor Lincoln, of the government watchdog group Public Citizen, said Vilsack’s appointment effectively violates Obama’s pledge.
“As secretary of agriculture, he should have to recuse himself from situations affecting clients that he advised. If he advised really big agriculture clients that would be make it impractical to be the secretary of agriculture,” said Lincoln, editor of the group’s blog becoming44.org.
