Daschle appointment appears to contradict Obama ethics policy

Obama's reported selection of former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to head Health and Human Services appears to flatly contradict his ethics policy, which says, "No political appointees in the Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years."

Daschle is a special public policy advisor in Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C., according to the firm's Web site, which singles out health care as an area of "particular emphasis." Elsewhere, the firm advertises that its health care legislative & public policy team "has the significant advantage of including two former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders – Senators Bob Dole and Tom Daschle."

We have asked the transition team how a health care team member for a major lobbying firm could take over Health and Human Services, a department primarily charged with overseeing health issues, without violating a prohibition against working on regulations or contracts related to his prior employer.

We will update this blog with the response when we get it.