Nominee Is Questioned About Pentagon’s Revolving Door

August Cole reports on the Pentagon. President-elect Barack Obama ’s pick to be the No. 2 Pentagon official, William J. Lynn , parried questions from Sen. Claire McCaskill about his defense industry ties at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing that was otherwise smooth sailing. After pledging to keep lobbyists at bay, the Obama team ended up nominating a top Washington operations executive for Raytheon Co. as Defense Secretary Robert Gates ’s right-hand man. Lynn, 55 years old, is Raytheon’s senior vice president of government operations and strategy, and a well-regarded former Pentagon comptroller and Senate staffer. He was a registered lobbyist for the company from 2003 through June 2008, according to the Obama transition team. McCaskill said she was been concerned about a “revolving door” between the defense industry and government officials. “It’s an incestuous business that’s going on in terms of the defense contractors, and the Pentagon, and the ... (link)