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Ethics

NEGOTIATING FOR EMPLOYMENT

"A politician would do well to remember that he has to live with his conscience longer than he does with his constituents." -- Melvin Laird

Can I continue to work on a matter involving an organization with which I'm negotiating post-government employment?
You may not participate personally and substantially in any particular government matter that would affect the financial interest of an organization with which you are negotiating for future employment. For example, if you are talking to a car company about future employment, you could not continue to work on fuel efficiency standards.

A true story: A senior government official had left company X several years before, and had no continuing financial interest in the company. Company X had a contract with the official's agency. One of the official's government duties was to review the performance of the contract. When the senior official began thinking about leaving the government, he met with the company to talk about coming back to work for them.

The employee was prosecuted and found to have violated the conflict of interest law, because he continued to review the company X contract while negotiating for future employment with that company. He lost his government position.



Guidance From The Office of Government Ethics:
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