Clinton Aide’s Ties Questioned

Before he became President Clinton’s deputy national security adviser last January, Samuel (Sandy) Berger represented Payless Shoe Stores, a major importer of Chinese footwear, in lobbying for an extension of China’s most-favored-nation trade status.

Is Berger’s lobbying a conflict of interest that disqualifies him from taking part in the talks on China’s trade status?

No, White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum ruled recently. Two weeks ago, in a letter to Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), Nussbaum declared that Berger is free to participate in the Administration’s discussions on China’s trade benefits because neither Payless nor Berger’s former law firm, Hogan & Hartson, is itself a party in the trade issue.

“While (Payless) may have an interest in the outcome, that interest is one shared by many persons and entities,” he explained.

Charles Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit group that monitors foreign lobbying in Washington, protested the ruling: “Anybody who’s already worked on this issue concerning MFN and then turns around and handles it in the Administration just months after representing a client, well, what’s the old thing, ‘That dog don’t hunt’? “

Wolf said Tuesday that he is not satisfied with the ruling. “I think it would have been better had Berger not been involved,” he said.