Trump named more ex-lobbyists to Cabinet in 3 years than Obama, Bush did full terms
President Trump's administration now employs more ex-lobbyists in Cabinet-level positions than the Bush or Obama administrations did during two terms in office. The Trump administration has outpaced both prior administrations in additions of former lobbyists to high-level posts despite Trump's frequent promises during the 2016 campaign to "drain the swamp" of corruption and special interests in Washington.
The total number of Cabinet-level ex-lobbyists who serve or previously served in the Trump administration now totals seven, according to the AP, while the Obama administration employed five during eight years in the White House and the Bush administration employed three during the same length of time.
Government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) blasted the Trump administration in a statement to the AP, pointing to the ending of a requirement of a two-year "cooling off" period before ex-lobbyists previously were allowed to work in federal positions related to issues on which they previously lobbied.
“Without the cooling off period, these Cabinet heads appear to be serving their former employers’ and clients’ special interests,” CREW's chief ethics counsel Virginia Canter told the news service.
https://thehill.com/regulation/lobbying/461860-trump-has-named-more-ex-lobbyists-to-cabinet-in-3-years-than-obama-bush