Romney Campaign Press Release - Associated Press: "Gingrich Shunned Lobbying, But Hired Lobbyists"

"Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says his consulting group never lobbied for clients. But his business hired state and federal lobbyists to work with clients, and some staff left to take lobbying jobs. ...Gingrich's Center for Health Transformation hired a former Georgia lobbyist to help develop business in that state; a former Missouri state agency director who was a registered lobbyist before joining Gingrich's group; and a Washington lobbyist hired from a firm led by former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, a Gingrich supporter."

"Gingrich Shunned Lobbying, But Hired Lobbyists"

Associated Press

Brett J. Blackledge

February 6, 2012

www.google.com

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says his consulting group never lobbied for clients. But his business hired state and federal lobbyists to work with clients, and some staff left to take lobbying jobs, according to lobbying disclosures and corporate reports.

Gingrich's Center for Health Transformation hired a former Georgia lobbyist to help develop business in that state; a former Missouri state agency director who was a registered lobbyist before joining Gingrich's group; and a Washington lobbyist hired from a firm led by former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, a Gingrich supporter.

Gingrich's center also paved the way for some employees to leave for lobbying jobs, turning their experience with his group into a selling point for clients.

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The Gingrich Group and the center have acknowledged generating $55 million between 2001 and 2010, serving more than 300 companies and organizations, including $1.65 million from the government-supported mortgage company Freddie Mac.

The Associated Press has identified more than 200 companies and associations that paid Gingrich's group about $42 million since 2003, according to lists of clients and client fees the group posted in the past on its website.

Two dozen of the nation's largest health care companies and businesses with major health-related costs paid Gingrich's group nearly $21 million during the period, or almost half of the $42 million in client fees identified by the AP.

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Six of the major health care companies and Booz Allen Hamilton, a large Washington government contracting and consulting firm, paid more than $1 million each to Gingrich's group since 2003. Seventeen others paid more than $500,000 each over the period, according to their membership levels identified by the center and the center's listed annual membership costs. Most of the 24 companies paid the top annual fee of $200,000, which provided the most access to Gingrich through private telephone conference calls, personal appearances, and regular updates and opinions that he offered members on national health issues and legislation.

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The Indiana Health Care Association paid $70,000 in 2008 to become a client of Gingrich's group, which offered regular newsletters, website access, position papers and staff contacts.

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Booz Allen Hamilton paid Gingrich's center to help sponsor health-related events, where Booz Allen consultants spoke and offered position papers on issues, spokesman James Fisher said.

Gingrich didn't work alone. He hired others, including lobbyists, to help serve the clients and develop state projects that Gingrich would later promote as model programs.

Robert Egge worked as a Washington lobbyist for J.C. Watts Companies, focusing on Medicare in 2005 before joining Gingrich's firm as a project director in March of that year.

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The association became a client of Gingrich's group in 2010.

Wayne Oliver left his chief lobbyist job in 2006 with the Georgia Pharmacy Association, where he worked for 19 years, to join Gingrich's group.

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But he also has worked on the center's Georgia Project, one of the state-based initiatives Gingrich's organization started to promote health care improvements and increased technology.

Julie Eckstein led Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services, a cabinet position that required her to register as a state lobbyist before she joined Gingrich's group in 2007.

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She left last year to become managing director of health care services at St. Louis-based Guidon Peformance Solutions, another Gingrich group client.

Jim Frogue turned nearly six years working at Gingrich's firm into a new Washington lobbying business.

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Some of Frogue's first lobbying clients were health care reimbursement company Qmedtrix Systems and pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, who also were clients of Gingrich's group.

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Jill Randolph left her job with Gingrich's group in 2007 to run Washington lobbying efforts for the American Benefits Council and to manage the political action committee for the trade association representing employee benefit programs. Randolph, a project director at Gingrich's firm, was hired by the American Benefits Council to "draw upon her extensive legislative experience," according to the 2007 news release announcing her hiring.