Friday, February 27, 2009 11:55 AM

Obama Donors Get Exec. Branch Jobs

From this week's National Journal: (subscription required)

• President Obama has noted his desire to appoint people with experience and sound judgment to his administration. But an examination of campaign finance records reveals that, aside from having talent, many of those hired also opened up their pocketbooks. In a National Journal review of 155 appointees to the administration, at least 80 (52 percent) had contributed money to Obama's campaign, reports Gregg Sangillo and Eliza Krigman.

• Bruce Harris is taking on a new role as Wal-Mart's director of federal government relations for sustainability issues. He sharpened his knowledge of that topic as chief policy adviser on energy and air quality for the Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Sangillo reports.

• Sean Spicer and Gretchen Hamel, who served in the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, have joined forces with Nathan Imperiale, former director of new media for the House Republican Conference, to establish a public relations shop, Endeavour Global Strategies, Winter Casey writes.

• Working at the White House broadened the horizons of lawyer Dan Price, who dealt with every issue under the sun as President Bush's chief aide to the Group of Eight, the Group of 20, and other global organizations. Now that he has returned to law firm Sidley Austin, he'll be stretching himself again, adding climate change and global financial regulation to his longtime specialty of international trade and arbitration, reports John Maggs.