In fact, those restrictions are more important than ever, because many influence peddlers have moved more of their work into the shadows. This is aided by weak and largely voluntary compliance by lobbyists, which can lead to influence-peddlers avoiding registration. Even the top lobbyist for Lockheed Martin didn’t register until Politico reported he hadn’t done so. In our report on the Pentagon revolving door, Brass Parachutes, we found that many firms avoid lobbying restrictions by creating “business development” positions, often focused on garnering new contracts for their new employers. Examples included Jason Colosky, who went from managing Pentagon Middle East policy to joining Raytheon as regional director for the contractor’s Middle East and North Africa operations, and retired Army Colonel Patrick Stackpole, who was chief of staff for U.S. Forces Japan before joining Lockheed Martin’s business development team. When we reached out to other former senior officials for comment on our report and our Pentagon revolving door database, several argued that they had received their executive roles based on their expertise, but that it was clear to them that the business development executives were being hired for their connections.

Esper’s actions raise the prospect that he would personally benefit from the proposed ethics law rollback. During the confirmation process to become defense secretary, he repeatedly resisted calls to distance himself from his former employer and avoid the revolving door between the Pentagon and its contractors. Under the ethics order, Esper was required to recuse himself from matters involving Raytheon for two years. By the time he was nominated to be defense secretary in 2019, he was only a few months from his recusal period’s expiration date. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked him at his confirmation hearing if he would extend that period, as former Boeing executive and fellow Trump administration nominee Patrick Shanahan had pledged to do if confirmed for the same position. Esper refused.