Warren, Kim, Ryan, Ross Call for Investigation into Former Lobbyists, Influence-Peddlers in Top Trump Admin Roles

Warren, Kim, Ryan, Ross Call for Investigation into Former Lobbyists, Influence-Peddlers in Top Trump Admin Roles

At least 21 former lobbyists now in senior roles in Trump administration, and their former employers and clients appear to be benefiting

"While federal ethics law directs federal employees not to work on matters involving clients they represented in the past year, we are concerned that some Trump administration officials may have nevertheless done so"

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), along with Representatives Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) pressed the Inspectors General (IGs) of 16 key agencies to open investigations into senior Trump officials who were recently lobbyists or "shadow lobbyists" and may be using their roles to benefit their former employers and clients.

"Rather than breaking from the culture of influence-peddling he once railed against, President Trump has embraced it, abandoning even the pretense of cracking down on conflicts of interest," wrote the members.

As of 2025, at least 21 former lobbyists were serving in senior roles under the Trump administration - and the lobbying firms with ties to these officials are thriving. Ballard Partners, which previously employed Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, brought in more than $88 million in fees in 2025 alone, making it one of the largest firms in the country. BGR, former employer of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, made $71.5 million in 2025, a 58 percent increase from its lobbying revenues in 2024.

While federal ethics laws require former lobbyists to recuse themselves from former clients' matters for at least a year, the lawmakers warn some officials may be violating those rules. For example:

• Almost all of the clients that hired Ballard Partners to lobby the Department of Justice (DOJ) hired the firm after AG Bondi entered office. DOJ dropped its antitrust challenge to the American Express-GBT merger shortly after Ballard was hired to lobby on the matter. Ballard Partners also works as a lobbyist for Netflix and Paramount while they both seek to merge with Warner Bros Discovery - and AG Bondi's DOJ will decide whether to approve that merger.
• BGR Group has expanded its DOT lobbying roster to 19 clients, up from just six under President Trump's first term. Airlines have since secured billions in federal funding and seen a rollback of Biden-era consumer protections that helped consumers but were costly for the airline industry.
• Kyle Kunkler, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the Environmental Protection Agency, had been lobbying the EPA on pesticide policy on behalf of the American Soybean Association leading up to his appointment. Weeks after Kunkler joined the EPA, the agency proposed allowing the use of a controversial weedkiller.

Many other officials, like Tom Homan, the White House "Border Czar," Corey Lewandowski, an advisor at the Department of Homeland Security, and Nancy Beck, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the EPA, were not registered lobbyists but advanced industry interests through consulting and "shadow lobbying" before joining the administration. Now, all are in a position to help their former employers and clients receive government contracts or favorable policy changes.

"[E]ven if these activities are legal, officials' involvement in such matters may raise ongoing questions about bias and the propriety of actions taken by agencies under their watch - key questions for you to address in your evaluation," wrote the lawmakers.

During his first term, President Trump issued an ethics pledge requiring lobbyists entering government to recuse themselves from issue areas on which they had lobbied within the previous two years. This time around, he has issued no such ethics pledge. And for many officials who are following the one-year recusal rule, those obligations are about to expire. Officials can also seek waivers to work on former clients' matters, even before that one year period expires.

"[I]n order to fulfill our legislative responsibilities regarding the operations of your agency and of government ethics and anti-corruption laws, we respectfully request that your office conduct an evaluation," concluded the lawmakers.

The members asked the IGs to, as part of their investigations, provide an accounting of whether senior officials have received waivers to work on former employers' or clients' matter and, how many ethics investigations have been opened into senior officials, as well as an official determination as to whether senior officials have influenced their former employers' or clients' matters.

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