Poor Karen Hughes. It must be such hard work taking a pay cut down to $149,000 per year. After all, if she hadn't accepted a government position, she could be earning up to $450, even $500K speaking on the lecture circuit talking about how wonderful the president is.
Well I'll be. She found a way to do both.
According to Time, Karen "USA roolz" Hughes accepted $450,000 for speaking engagements between the time she was nominated as Undersecretary of State and even after she was confirmed and installed in her position.
Time reporter Timothy Burger lets her have it:
When Karen Hughes, George Bush's new hearts-and-minds czar, made her debut trip to the Middle East last week, she repeatedly referred to herself as a "working mom." Hughes, who was sworn in on Sept. 9 as the State Department's undersecretary for public diplomacy, visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey and used the phrase to showcase her concern for women's empowerment. (She was not entirely successful; despite efforts to marshal friendly audiences, Hughes was peppered with criticism of the Bush administration's intervention in Iraq, support for Israel and treatment of Muslims.)
Hughes did not, however, elaborate on what kind of work she's been doing since leaving Washington three years ago to spend more time with her husband and teenage son in Texas. According to the financial disclosure form Hughes filed in preparation for taking the new job, she earned $1.8 million between January 2004 and March 14, 2005, when Bush named her to the new post. Between her appointment and swearing-in, Hughes took in $450,000.
(snip)
Hughes is certainly no different from many other Washington insiders in leaving public service for the comparatively lucrative private sector. (Former President Bill Clinton received a $10 million advance for his memoir My Life. And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich charges $40,000 and up for speaking engagements.) But Hughes's paid speeches, given after her new role in the Administration was announced on March 14, have raised a few eyebrows. In April, Parker Drilling Co., a Houston oil drilling firm, paid Hughes $50,000 to appear at what Parker spokeswoman Marianne Gooch called a private event hosted by the company's chief. On. Aug. 10, Hughes gave a speech for $30,000 to Bay Area Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, a tort-reform group, 12 days after the Senate voted to approve her nomination. In a letter to the State Department ethics advisor, Hughes said she would "ensure that my appointment to this position takes places after" that final paid speech.
Thankfully, our government has recognized the need for effective disclosure rules in order to make sure there is not even a hint of improper profiting off of one's position in the government. The State Department is no exception. Unless...
In a letter to the State Department ethics advisor, Hughes said she would "ensure that my appointment to this position takes places after" that final paid speech. Though it is legal for even the closest presidential consigliere to accept speaking fees after being announced for an Administration post, some legal experts and ethics watchdogs questioned the practice.
Well, uh, surely the State Department's ethics group would frown upon Ms. Hughes for profiting off of her soon-to-be-named government position. Unless...
The State Department says Hughes made sure to avoid the appearance of undue influence. "The contracts signed for these speeches included a clause that the organization was not to lobby her on policy or to use her speeches to convey a message through her to the President or the Administration," says State Department official Gordon Johndroe. Hughes was also well within guidelines cemented in a May 2002 opinion by the Justice Department. While acknowledging "the possibility of some abuses," the ruling found that the restrictions on outside income do not to apply until an individual becomes a government employee, normally by being sworn into office or accepting a government salary. Hughes went on the payroll on Aug. 15, five days after her last paid speech, according to Johndroe.
How convenient. Bringing honor and integrity to the executive branch, one speech at a time. Even Judicial Watch recognizes Ms. Hughes' integrity:
"It may be technically legal, but it certainly doesn't inspire confidence in the system," says Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, a conservative ethics group.
It is a shame that someone with such convenient ethics and timing would be representing America abroad. Sadly, though, I'm not sure that this behavior is all that unrepresentative of the American government anymore.
I think we should let the State Department know how pleased we are with the classy manner in which Ms. Hughes is handling our image abroad. Let's drop Condi an email, then maybe, if we have time, give her a buzz:
Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000
TTY:
1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay Service)
Public Communication Division:
PA/PL, Rm. 2206
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
202-647-6575