Over half of the President Obama’s 47 top fundraisers–individuals who helped bag a minimum of $500,000 for his presidential campaign–have been given jobs in the Obama White House.
The latest revelation of crony capitalism, which was reported by the Washington Post, also found that nine more top bundlers landed appointments to presidential boards and committees and that 24 more were given foreign ambassadorships.
White House spokesperson Eric Schultz spun the revelation this way:
“In filling these posts, the administration looks for the most qualified candidates who represent Americans from all walks of life. Being a donor does not get you a job in this administration, nor does it preclude you from getting one.”
The Foreign Service Act of 1980 expressly prohibits the consideration of political donations as a factor in appointing ambassadorships. Presently, 59 of Mr. Obama’s ambassadors were not career Foreign Service officers, and of them, thePost says 40% were Obama fundraisers.
Susan Johnson, President of the American Foreign Service Association, registered her concern about the apparent Obama graft:
“We think that the pendulum has swung a bit too far toward the patronage side of things,” said Susan Johnson, president of the American Foreign Service Association, which represents career officers.
Not all political appointees have been bad ambassadors, Johnson said, but some have been less qualified, making them “costly in terms of advancing and protecting our interests and costly for the taxpayers.”
No word yet on whether Capitol Hill Republicans plan to launch an investigation into whether the Obama White House is in violation of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 for rewarding those who raised over $500,000 in campaign contributions with coveted ambassadorships.