Remember the young Regent University graduates who had been embedded in the federal government, most as employees (rather than appointees.) While the number of employees has evaporated from the Regent website, it lives on in cache and this is an issue that will haunt the government for decades to come (since most of these are employees, rather than appointees, and won't automatically resign in 2009.)
But there are many other hints still there that suggest that the problem goes way beyond a change in employment rules that results in young law "puppies" getting extraordinary access to government. Like an inconvenient case of herpes, the infection just lives on and on...And you might be amazed at where it can end up.
Follow for a few more interesting details:
What does it cost to win an election? Paybacks from hell--or heaven, if you are a fundamentalist. Here's one appointment that defies the imagination:
Prior to joining Regent in 2003, Jim [Davids] was the Deputy Director and Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Task Force for the Faith-Based & Community Initiative. As Deputy Director, Jim provided guidance on constitutional issues to the White House and the other departmental Offices of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives. In addition, he audited the Department of Justice to determine the barriers faith-based and community organizations faced in participating in DOJ-funded programs, and he monitored cases which impacted the Faith-Based & Community Initiative.
How does someone get to audit the Department of Justice to make sure they are "Christian enough?" Well, you come to the job as a former lobbyist for the Christian position:
Jim presently serves as President-Elect of the Christian Legal Society, which is the oldest and largest professional organization of Christian attorneys in the U.S. Jim previously served this Society as Legislative Counsel, during which he advocated on Capitol Hill for religious liberty and pro-life legislation.
Then there is Kaye Coles James, former dean at Regent, former chief hirer for the goverment(OPM), who left government to take a job with MZM (base pay $500,000). Recognize the company? It's the defense contractor involved in the Duke Cunningham scandal, led by Mitchell J. Wade. But that didn't last.
Within two months of joining defense contractor MZM Inc., former Bush administration official Kay Coles James quit after questionable conduct by the company's president, she said in legal papers. MZM founder Mitchell J. Wade is at the heart of a national bribery scandal involving former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who has gone to prison in the case. Details about James' short stint at MZM have emerged in court filings related to a claim filed against her by MZM's successor company in a contract dispute.
James left after only 2 months. You can jump to one of two conclusions: Either James was so upright that she immediately identified the potential graft and corruption (and of course, told her proteges at Justice all about it) or she was warned away from the company by her proteges in advance of intense scrutiny.
Perhaps someone with greater access than mine can find evidence that she has testified. In either case, her pangs of conscience resulted in a lawsuit for part of her signing bonus, to the tune of six figures. She is now working for the J.C. Watts Companies (as in the Fox News pundit), whose mission (in part) is to divert government contracts to their clients.
Making these connections may be totally unfair. It's clear Regent grads are highly successful, despite inexperience and a degree from a fourth tier college. Here's a partial list of where to find more of them:
Assistant Commandant, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia
Assistant County Attorney, Prestonburg, Kentucky
Assistant County Prosecutor, Drug Task Force Ohio
Assistant District Attorney, Kinston, North Carolina
Deputy Public Defender, Florence, South Carolina
Staff Attorney, U.S. Marine Corps
State Representative, Missouri, 56th District
State Representative, Tennessee, 34th District
State Senator, Missouri, 26th Senatorial District
Staff Attorney, U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army Judge Advocate General Corps
Member, Virginia House of Delegates for the 84th District
U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Washington, District of Columbia
U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Arlington, Virginia
But it's also clear that the web of connections among the past, present and future administrators at Regent (including Professor Ashcroft) will continue to haunt us for a long time.