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It’s been a busy week for Republican Speakers of the House. Paul Ryan announced that he will retire from Congress at the end of his term before he can get tagged with the massive deficit he created, John Boehner is a full-throated supporter of marijuana legalization after the industry paid him a metric ton of cash to whore for them engaging in deep reflection on the tragedy of non-violent drug offender convictions, and Dennis Hastert wondered if any cable news network would reach out and book him for an expert opinion on paying hush money. Not wanting to be left out of the action, former Speaker Newt Gingrich has leapt into the headlines with news that he’ll be leaving Dentons.
Gingrich, who is not a lawyer, worked with Dentons for three years as — functionally if not formally — a lobbyist [NOTE: A spokesperson for Gingrich wrote to confirm that the former Speaker explicitly informed clients that he was not serving as a lobbyist (e.g. he would not be making phone calls on their behalf). That’s the purpose of the word “functionally” above — we understand that he never registered as a lobbyist, but he was working with a group that provided public policy and regulatory advice, the skills sought from a Biglaw “small-l” lobbying group.] Ryan Lovelace of the National Law Journal reports:
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“The firm and Speaker Gingrich have concluded a formal three year relationship. We thank Speaker Gingrich for his contributions to the Firm’s client service,” the firm said in a statement.
Mike McNamara, Dentons’ CEO in the U.S., delivered the news to the firm’s U.S. partnership in an internal email early Monday that also directed people on how to best address pending matters involving Gingrich.
Whether Dentons forced the issue or Gingrich decided to quit of his own accord is unknown, but in either event, Paul Ryan’s decision to step away from politics certainly played a role. Once you skirt past the platitudes about “spending more time with my family,” Ryan’s announcement basically let every lingering doubter know that they expect to lose control of the House, rendering Gingrich next to useless as a lobbyist someone giving public policy advice to clients on how to deal with government. Boehner’s turn as a hippie at least gives him some bi-partisan credibility. Pending a comparably dramatic turn, Gingrich has nothing to bring to the table.
Until then, Gingrich can look forward to a starring role in “explain why this isn’t impeachable yet a blow job was?” his recurring tour de force performance on cable news.
Newt Gingrich Departs From Dentons [Law.com]
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Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.