LC-17 · Politics
The revolving door
Regulate, then get hired
In ordinary words
A regulator or member of Congress can leave office and, after a cooling-off period that is often short, lobby former colleagues or advise the industry they oversaw.
Why people call it a crime
It looks like a delayed bribe. The statute usually calls it a career change with a waiting period.
A scene, not a hypothetical statute
A committee chair writes the bill the industry wanted, retires, and eighteen months later is “senior advisor” at the trade group, coaching the new lobbyists on who to call. The coaching may be lawful.
In legal terms
18 U.S.C. § 207 imposes one- and two-year cooling-off periods on certain contacts by former executive-branch officials and members of Congress. It does not ban the job, the salary, or behind-the-scenes advice. The STOCK Act addresses trading on nonpublic congressional information but has not ended the broader conflict. Gift rules and bribery statutes (18 U.S.C. § 201) cover quid pro quo, not industry hiring.
Congress banned specific contacts for a limited time rather than a lifetime bar on industry employment. Advice that is not a prohibited communication is outside the statute.
18 U.S.C. § 207; 18 U.S.C. § 201; STOCK Act, Pub. L. 112-105.
Where it stops being legal
Lobbying inside the cooling-off window, trading on material nonpublic information, or an explicit deal — official act for a future job — can be a crime.