Former Bush officials turn to lobbying

WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- More than one-quarter of former Bush administration Cabinet members are now Washington consultants or lobbyists, USA Today reported Wednesday.

The newspaper's analysis revealed 10 of the 34 former Bush-era Cabinet secretaries are now registered as lobbyists or have joined consulting or lobbying firms. Others now serve on the boards or work for industries they once regulated.

Among the examples cited were former Interior Secretary Gail Norton, who once was charged with overseeing federal drilling leases on public lands and is now a lawyer in the Shell Oil division for oil exploration; former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who has started a "risk-management advice" consulting business; and his predecessor, Tom Ridge, who also is now a security consultant.

USA Today said former Attorney General John Ashcroft is a lobbyist for software giant Oracle, which was once the target of an anti-trust probe during his tenure.

"No one is saying they shouldn't go into the private sector, but they shouldn't take advantage of the relationships they created while in government," Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, told the newspaper.