Spinning the Door into the CIA

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Leon Panetta, former Chief of Staff to the President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, earned over $1 million in 2008 as a corporate consultant and guest speaker. On the eve of a confirmation hearing before a U.S. Senate committee, Panetta's disclosure to the Office of Government Ethics was publicly released. In it, Panetta revealed that in 2008 he was paid $120,000 as a member of the advisory board of the global PR firm, Fleishman-Hillard (F-H). On its website, F-H describes the 16 member board as "a powerful client resource" which can "author op-ed pieces" and "provide counsel to clients -- in person, via video, or through calls to decision-makers." Other board members include the former Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and former Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Ridge. Another board member is Barry R. McCaffrey, who was a participant in the Pentagon military analyst program.