Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Rick Scott are blasting former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for starting a D.C. consulting firm after saying he would not become a lobbyist after leaving the government.
“[T]his move is particularly disappointing because you made a clear promise during your nomination hearing to uphold the public trust,” the bipartisan duo said in a letter to Austin on Monday obtained by POLITICO.
POLITICO Influence reported earlier this month that Austin, along with other top Biden officials and several senior former Pentagon aides, have set up Clarion Strategies, a strategic advisory firm focused on geopolitical matters. Technically Austin is only providing advice to clients and not lobbying, but Warren and Scott believe it’s a distinction without much difference.
“Such actions raise concerns that, less than six months after leaving your role as Secretary of Defense in the Biden Administration, you have taken a trip through the revolving door and begun cashing in on your public service,” the two said in the letter.
A spokesperson for Austin said he will likely respond to the letter. The former Defense chief added in a statement: “I will continue to uphold the highest ethical standards, as I have done throughout my career, and will abide by all relevant post-government restrictions.”
Prior to his stint as defense secretary from 2021 to 2025, Austin had his own consulting firm, Austin Strategy Group. He also worked at defense-focused investment firm Pine Island Capital and was on the board of Raytheon. He told Warren before his confirmation hearing that he had “no intent to be a lobbyist” after being defense secretary.
But Warren (D-Mass.) and Scott (R-Fla.) said there are “serious questions” about whether decisions Austin, a former four-star general, made while serving in the government benefited defense contractors that he may work for now.
The senators asked Austin whether he will register as a lobbyist for any companies and which entities he will be working for, including foreign entities. They also want to know how much he will be paid for his services and whether the companies hiring him have contracts with the Defense Department. Warren and Scott requested answers by July 8.
Warren and Scott usually disagree but they have worked together on Pentagon revolving door issues in the past.
Warren in 2023 also introduced the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, which, among other things, would forbid major defense contractors from hiring top Pentagon officials and the former DOD employees who managed their contracts for four years after they leave office. A Warren spokesperson said she plans to make a renewed push on the issue in the coming months.
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