Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) has been busy since he left Congress at the end of last year, swiftly demonstrating the value of a former lawmaker to various industries seeking access on Capitol Hill. First Lott joined with former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) to open a bipartisan lobbying firm, and most recently he accepted a position on the board of the North American arm of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).

“Senator Lott has been out of the Senate less than a year, and he’s already showing how a spin through Washington’s revolving door can enrich a former senator,” CRP’s executive director, Sheila Krumholz, told the Associated Press.

During the first half of this year, the Breaux Lott Leadership Group banked $3.1 million from its client roster, which includes AT&T, the Association of American Railroads and energy company Plains Exploration & Production. EADS, which has spent $2.7 million this year on its efforts to influence lawmakers, does not appear to have hired Lott’s lobbying shop. As a member of Congress, Lott collected $164,000 from the defense sector from 1989 until he resigned. Defense company Northrop Grumman, which partnered with EADS in March to win a giant defense contract over Boeing, gave Lott more money than all but seven other donors, at $38,000. Northrop Grumman has paid the Breaux Lott Leadership Group $200,000 this year to lobby on its behalf.

By leaving Congress before his term was up, Lott was able to dodge new ethics rules requiring senators to wait two years before lobbying.



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