TPM’s Zachary Roth (formerly of CJR) and Justin Elliott have put together an interactive map of the “Shadow Congress,” the 171 (by their count) “former members of Congress currently working on behalf of private interests in Washington’s influence-peddling industry.” Write Roth and Elliott:
It’s not exactly breaking news that Washington is stuffed to the gills with lobbyists. One good government group recently tallied 8 lobbyists for every member of Congress during the health-care reform debate. But what doesn’t get as much attention is that, over the last few decades, a vast army of what might be called uber-lobbyists has taken shape in the capital, made up of retiring lawmakers eager to cash in on K Street after a lifetime of making do with public sector salaries.
Interesting stuff. Next up, maybe, a list of these “uber-lobbyists'” clients?
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.