As the Revolving Door Spins, Lobbyists Hired for Top Jobs in Congress Yet Again

BEYOND THE HEADLINES around the unprecedented storming of Capitol Hill by rampagers and violent extremists, a more mundane group of Washington, D.C., insiders is trickling into the halls of government.

The newly elected Congress is hiring a wave of corporate lobbyists to fill key staff roles.

The embrace of lobbyists makes Congress a welcoming environment for their former corporate clients, which now have an inside voice in the legislative process. For many large companies seeking favor in Congress, their current lobbyists will meet with former colleagues to hash out policy.

In the Senate, lobbyists are scoring top jobs on a weekly basis. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, an influential moderate, hired a new chief of staff who previously represented Alaska mining interests last month. Shortly after his reelection in November, Sen. Gary Peter, D-Mich., who sits on a subcommittee overseeing internet policy, hired a former Google lobbyist as his counsel and committee legislative aide.