Gene Kimmelman, one of the best known consumer advocates in Washington, is expected to join the Justice department this week as chief counsel for competition policy and intergovernmental relations, according to sources familiar with his plans.

Kimmelman is currently vice president of federal and international affairs at the Consumers Union. The news of his move was first reported in The Deal. (subscription) The appointment is likely to cause a stir in the business world because Kimmelman has long been known for fighting against mergers and monopolies.

For more on Kimmelman, see this 2002 story in Cable World.

There's also a question about whether or not Kimmelman received a waiver from the Obama administration's tough lobbyist and revolving door rules. A White House spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Kimmelman was a registered lobbyist up until the third quarter of 2008, working on two mergers in the telecom and broadcast industries. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Consumers Union filed documentation with the Senate stating that Kimmelman was no longer a lobbyist for the organization.

Under the administration's lobbying rules, no lobbyist is permitted to work in an area on which he or she lobbied for two years when they join the administration. We will update this story when we hear back from the White House.
                                                                                             --Bara Vaida