These 80 Executives, Lobbyists, Corporate Lawyers and Consultants Are Doing Donald Trump’s Bidding

As recently as this spring, President Donald Trump proclaimed that he is “not beholden to any political or financial interest.” His final campaign ad pledged that a Trump administration would replace the “failed and corrupt” political establishment,.

The trouble is, Trump has directly contradicted these promises, according to a report issued by Public Citizen. Trump has packed his administration with corporate executives, corporate lawyers, corporate lobbyists and corporate consultants. A look at 115 sub-Cabinet officials nominated or announced by the White House (excluding ambassadors) reveals extensive ties to corporate America.

Of the White House’s nominees for these jobs, 80 people, or nearly 70 percent of sub-Cabinet officials, had a clear corporate connection, having worked in a corporate job or done corporate legal work or corporate consulting. The remaining 35 had no direct corporate ties, though many are nevertheless ideologically committed to a deregulatory agenda that would benefit powerful corporate interests at consumers’ expense.

In the Trump administration, auto industry lobbyists are setting transportation policy, Boeing has a top perch at the Department of Defense, Wall Street is in control of financial policy and regulatory agencies, and corporate defense lawyers staff the key positions in the Justice Department. In Washington, D.C., personnel is policy, and the occupation of key government positions by corporate insiders ensures corporate cronyism will worsen.

The report  shows that Trump’s nominees represent a who’s who of major lobbying firms, law firms and corporate titans. They include:

● 29 current or former executives at companies including Boeing Co., Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Invesco Ltd., Exelon and Bear Stearns. Many of these companies have cultivated ties to the administration, including Boeing, which gave $1 million to pay for Trump’s inauguration.

● 26 corporate lawyers from major firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Dechert, Sullivan & Cromwell, Jones Day and Mayer Brown. Filling top Justice Department posts are a lawyer who represented the tobacco industry, a lawyer who fought federal regulations for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a lawyer who represented BP in the Gulf disaster.

● 15 current or former registered lobbyists from lobbying firms including Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, King & Spalding and Ogilvy Government Relations as well as several registered lobbyists who have worked directly for corporate interests.

● 10 corporate consultants who did work for companies including Lockheed Martin and Hewlett-Packard, including a former congresswoman who has faced ethical questions over her work helping Lockheed keep a key nuclear weapons laboratory contract.