Swamp Watch: Gen. Mattis's new job with the Cohen Group has him stooping to political lows
Mattis is planning to cash in on his government service by joining the Cohen Group to lobby in a massive fall from grace.
Over the last week or so, Gen. James Mattis has been running around hawking his new book, but it was revealed on Sunday that he's planning to cash in on his government service in a much more swampy way.
It was reported by Axios that Mattis is joining the Cohen group, a massive advisory firm started by another former defense secretary, William Cohen. Here's how the Cohen Group describes some of its services:
JIM MATTIS CITES 'CONTEMPT' AMONG AMERICANS AS TOP NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN
"...Understanding and intervening to beneficially affect political, legislative, and regulatory issues, including shaping public policy debates, maneuvering through regulatory processes, development of standards and regulations, securing public sector funding..."
This is also known as “lobbying.” It's quite the fall from grace: From “Mad Dog” Mattis to swamp lobbyist. But worse than that, it's not even lobbying for American interests.
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On the aerospace and defense page of the Cohen Group's website, it lists, among other triumphs on behalf of its clients, the following:
- Assisted U.S. and Indian firms to develop a partnership to manufacture military aerostructures in India.
- Advised a German aviation firm on its acquisition of a 49 percent stake in a U.S. commercial air carrier.
- Assisted an Indian firm to partner with a U.S. firm on the manufacture in India of night vision equipment.
- Secured Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approval of a French acquisition of a leading U.S. maker of aerospace composite tooling.
- Assisted an Indian aircraft manufacturer in aircraft sales to U.S. state and local government agencies.
Well, isn't that fantastic! General Mattis is now taking his years of taxpayer-funded government service to a firm that boasts about shipping defense manufacturing jobs overseas, selling American defense companies to the French and the Germans, and lobbying state and local governments in this country to use your tax dollars not to buy American, but to buy Indian.
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What the hell is Mattis doing? Going from defending America to selling out America.
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Now, it's only fair to note the Cohen group does also talk about helping American companies. And I guess it's possible that General Mattis has insisted on a clause in his contract that limits him to such work.
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But even if that's the case - and he's welcome any time on “The Next Revolution” to tell us - it's shameful for him to have anything to do with this swampy firm that shows no loyalty to the country that put it where it is.
Adapted from Steve Hilton's monologue from "The Next Revolution" on Sept. 8, 2019.