Pentagon Restricts Congress Access, Not Influence Paddles
MSNBC breathlessly details new restrictions on how Pentagon staff can communicate with Congress, painting it as a potential roadblock. What they consistently gloss over is the well-oiled lobbying machine already in place. It's not about phone calls when defense contractors, many with former Pentagon officials on their payrolls, collectively spend hundreds of millions annually lobbying Congress.
For example, Lockheed Martin alone spent $13.6 million on lobbying in 2023, according to OpenSecrets.org, ensuring their 'communications' are, shall we say, pre-approved. One might wonder if Hegseth's new rules somehow apply to the lucrative 'consulting' gigs and think-tank positions that await retiring generals and congressional defense committee members. Or is this just another performative
measure, a theatrical curtain drawn over the actual, deeply entrenched mechanisms of influence that make formal 'communication' largely redundant?