When Evan Bayh prepares for a job interview with special interests, he makes sure to cast favorable votes in the United States Senate on their behalf.
As the Associated Press reveals in a breaking new report, Bayh "held more than four dozen meetings and phone calls with head hunters and future corporate employers" during his last year in the Senate and "cast votes on issues of interest" to those "corporate bosses."
FLASHBACK:
- On November 19, 2010, Bayh Responded To Sean Hannity Asking What Was Next For Him By Saying “You Know My Wife Asked Me That This Morning. And Unfortunately I Didn’t Have An Answer For That Either.” HANNITY: “What’s the future for Evan Bayh?” BAYH: “You know my wife asked me that this morning. And unfortunately I didn’t have an answer for that either.” HANNITY: “You didn’t have a good answer.” BAYH: “Yes. I’m going to run through the tape here in the Senate. We’ve got some important work to do yet this year. And then I’ll be back in the…” HANNITY: “Did you ever consider running for president?” BAYH: “You know, I think I got that bug out of my system. I’ve taken the cure. But I will always be involved trying to help my country, help my state. I care deeply about trying to create opportunity for people in whatever capacity.” (Fox News Channel’s, “Hannity,” 11/19/10)
- In February 2010, Asked About What He Would Do Next, Bayh Said “I Would Tell You, But I Don’t Know … I’m Going To Play Until The Final Second Ticks Off The Clock And Then Think About What’s Next.” MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: “Let me ask you as plainly as I can. What are your future plans? What will your next job be?” SENATOR EVAN BAYH: Maggie, “I would tell you, but I don’t know. I’m going to – what we call in Indiana basketball, I’m going to play until the final second ticks off the clock and then think about what’s next. But, you know, if I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months. If I could help educate our children in an institution of higher learning that would be a noble and worthy thing. If I could help a charity, or philanthropic activity, cure a disease or do something else worthwhile for society, that’s what has motivated my life and that`s what I think Congress needs to focus on.” (CBS’ “The Early Show,” 2/16/10)
In a particularly egregious takeaway, Bayh failed to disclose gifts from a headhunter – a violation of Senate Ethics rules:
In at least one case, though, Bayh’s schedule suggests that he did potentially violate Senate Ethics rules.
According to the schedule, a headhunter named Mike Flood paid for Bayh’s hotel stays on at least two nights, as well as transportation to and around New York City in November 2010. Senate rules say that such expenditures must be disclosed when they top $250, but it does not appear Bayh ever made such a disclosure.
Bayh wasn’t a Senator for the people of Indiana – he was a Senator for special interests.
Such a devastating revelation regarding his tenure raises the question: is Evan Bayh running again because he wants to cast votes on behalf of Hoosiers or on behalf of his corporate bosses?
Read more from the Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Job hunt substantial part of Bayh’s last year
Associated Press
By Erica Werner
October 8, 2016
Evan Bayh spent substantial time during his last year in the Senate searching for a job in the private sector, even as he cast votes on issues of interest to his future corporate bosses, according to the former Indiana lawmaker’s 2010 schedule, obtained exclusively by The Associated Press.
The Democrat held more than four dozen meetings and phone calls with head hunters and future corporate employers over the months, beginning just days after announcing his surprise retirement from the Senate on Feb. 15, 2010, through December of that year as his term came to an end.
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And two days later, on Feb. 17, Bayh was on the phone with a job headhunter, Jim Citrin of the Spencer Stuart firm.
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…Bayh never triggered a related requirement to recuse himself from official matters that might have constituted a conflict of interest.
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In June 2010, Bayh was among a small group of Democrats who helped kill a tax increase on private equity gains known as carried interest opposed by Apollo Global Management. That fall he stayed overnight three times at one Apollo executive’s Central Park South residence, and met twice with the company’s chief executive, Leon Black.
Weeks after Bayh left the Senate, Apollo announced he had been hired as a senior adviser
Similarly, in May 2010 Bayh lunched with a Marathon Oil board member. Then in June, he and a minority of Democrats joined with Republicans to defeat an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that would have eliminated billions in tax deductions and exemptions for oil and gas companies.
Marathon Petroleum Corp., a new Marathon spinoff, announced Bayh had been elected to its board in July 2011.
The AP obtained Bayh’s schedule from a source who requested anonymity because the information was private. The Bayh campaign did not dispute its legitimacy.
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In at least one case, though, Bayh’s schedule suggests that he did potentially violate Senate Ethics rules.
According to the schedule, a headhunter named Mike Flood paid for Bayh’s hotel stays on at least two nights, as well as transportation to and around New York City in November 2010. Senate rules say that such expenditures must be disclosed when they top $250, but it does not appear Bayh ever made such a disclosure.
The schedule shows many other meetings with top Wall Street and corporate officials throughout the months, even as the Senate debated and voted on major legislation including the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and an extension of the Bush tax cuts. Bayh supported extending the Bush tax cuts and also voted for Dodd-Frank, while pushing to soften up some of the more onerous requirements on Wall Street.
Throughout, Bayh met repeatedly with headhunters at more than a half-dozen recruiting firms, and with officials at Apollo, Marathon and three other companies he would work with after leaving the Senate: the McGuireWoods law firm, which announced he was joining as a partner in January, 2011; Leading Authorities, Inc. speaker’s bureau, which announced representation of Bayh the same month; and the investment firm RLJ Companies, which announced Bayh’s nomination to its board in May, 2011.
It’s not clear how much Bayh has earned from those various positions. He obtained an extension in filing his required financial disclosure forms, which provide an incomplete picture anyway. His compensation from his board positions is public; between Marathon and RLJ, Bayh has earned more than $2 million since 2011. His total income over the years is certain to be far higher.
The circumstances add to the questions about how Bayh spent his time since leaving the Senate, which has become a major campaign issue for Rep. Todd Young, his GOP opponent.Young has criticized Bayh on various fronts on the theme "He left us to work for them." Bayh disputes such criticism but has seen his lead in the polls dwindle dramatically since his surprise entrance into the race in July.
And in an election cycle that has featured voter frustration with Washington, Bayh’s schedule provides a rare window into the life available to a retiring lawmaker seeking opportunities in the private sector.
Consider Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.
The day begins with Bayh in Nantucket, staying at the waterfront mansion belonging to financier David Rubenstein, who once worked for Bayh’s father, former Sen. Birch Bayh.
He flies to New York, his Senate account picking up the tab for the flight, and heads to Aron’s Central Park South apartment to drop his bag.
Bayh then meets with Rob Shafir, then the chairman of Credit Suisse, before taping an appearance with journalist Katie Couric on the topics "Reasons for your retirement from the Senate, the state of our politics (why are our politics so broken), fixing and reforming the institution of the Senate," according to his schedule.
Bayh goes on to meet with Deutsche Bank chief executive Seth Waugh before having dinner at a steakhouse with Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein, and then returning to Aron’s residence to spend the night.