Wednesday, January 28, 2009 11:18 PM

CREW Founder to Head Ethics for Obama

Norman Eisen, the co-founder of government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, was tapped by President Obama to serve as special counsel with a focus on ethics issues.

Eisen, who was previously a partner at the law firm Zuckerman Spaeder, is likely to have his hands full monitoring the ethics of administration staff. Obama signed a sweeping executive order on ethics his second day in office.

The order requires executive branch employees to sign a document stating that the person "will not for a period of two years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts." In addition, staff are banned from accepting any gift from a lobbyist. Once they leave their jobs, the former staffers cannot lobby the executive branch as long as Obama is president.

Still, Obama is already facing heat on ethics from critics regarding his decision to nominate William Lynn for the No. 2 slot at the Defense Department. The administration has issued a waiver for Lynn from the new ethics order because of his 'unique" qualifications for the position.

One of those critics is Melanie Sloan, who is currently the executive director of CREW. Sloan said the necessity to issue a waiver for Lynn shows that the Obama administration "has done something they can't live with. It's the law of unintended consequences."

Sloan, meanwhile, said she had no idea that Eisen, who worked on congressional investigations and white-collar crime at Zuckerman Spaeder, was being considered for a White House position. "Norm didn't call and talk to me about it," Sloan said. "I found out about it" late last week when a reporter called. She also said that while Eisen was a co-founder of CREW, he has never been involved in the day-to-day operations of CREW, nor has he done any fundraising for the organization.

CREW was launched in 2003 by Eisen, and friends Louis Mayberg, president of investment firm ProFunds, and Daniel Berger, a plaintiff's attorney in Philadelphia, "because [Norm] had an interest in ethics and was concerned" that there wasn't an organization like CREW focused on ethics and accountability," Sloan said. Eisen recruited Sloan from her job as assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He and she had known each other from prior volunteer work and Eisen hired her "because of my big mouth," she told Congressional Quarterly in a 2007 profile of her organization.

CREW is well known in Washington for filing high profile complaints against lawmakers on corruption-related issues. And some observers say CREW played a role in helping Democrats win back control of Congress in 2006, following the numerous complaints CREW filed against Republican lawmakers. But Democrats aren't off limits. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. for example, has been an ongoing target of CREW complaints.

Eisen donated a total of $40,450 to Democratic candidates in the 2008 election cycle, including $2,300 to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

                                                                                                                    -- Bara Vaida