GOSH, IS HE BAD AT THIS:

Another lobbyist waiver for W.H.? (JEN DIMASCIO, 3/19/09, Politico)

President Barack Obama’s pledge to outlaw lobbyists from his administration is being tested again. His pick for assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs is Richard Verma, a partner at the Steptoe & Johnson law firm.

Obama’s lobbying rules, though, forbid appointees from working in government on issues they had advocated for. An administration official told Foreign Policy’s The Cable blog that a waiver would not be required for Verma because he had not lobbied the State Department.

Senate records, however, indicate that Verma had lobbied the State Department last fall on behalf of the U.S.-India Business Council, which was actively trying to win congressional approval of a deal between the two countries on civilian nuclear cooperation.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.