After Congress, K Street Beats Main Street

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Part of the Washington DC government-industry revolving door has been quantified: 318 former members of Congress currently lobby their former colleagues, according to a new report by PoliticalMoneyLine. They include former Rep. Billy Tauzin, now head of the Pharamaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; former Sen. John Breaux, now at Patton Boggs; former Sen. Don Nickles, who started his own lobbying firm; and former Rep. Jack Quinn, now a vice-president at Cassidy & Associates. Quinn told The Hill, "I was never someone who thought 'lobbyist' was a dirty word." PoliticalMoneyLine's website lists the clients of former official-turned-lobbyist William Lowery. His friend, current Rep. Jerry Lewis, has been accused of steering government contracts to Lowery's clients.