Did Phil English game Kevin Cuneo?

Back in February, Kevin Cuneo wrote in his gossip column the following:

"Former U.S. Rep. Phil English will keep busy with his work on the National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. English was recently appointed to a three-year term on the commission. He'll serve on the task force on cultural issues."

In response, I wrote here, addressing Cuneo:

"Kevin, where's the rest of the story? By whom was he appointed? Is this yet another example of Congress feathering its own nest and looking after its own defeated members? Is this a salaried position, with travel, per diem and expenses perks? Does it extend and enhance the former congressman's lavish retirement, per diem, health and pension benefits"?

Needless to say, Cuneo, who publicly boasts of dialoguing with readers but in reality engages mostly in drawn-out soliloquies, never answered those key questions.

Then, on April 15, this article appeared in PM in the Legal Business, a beltway publication;

Former Rep. Phil English Joins Arent Fox

Arent Fox has added former Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) to its Washington office as a senior government relations adviser, the firm announced today. English’s first day at the firm is today.

English lost his bid for an eighth term in November to Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) after representing Western Pennsylvania’s 3rd District from 1995 to 2009. In the 110th Congress, he served as the ranking member on the House Subcommittee of Select Revenue Measures.

At Arent Fox, English will be advising clients and generating business in areas similar to those he focused on in Congress, including health, energy, tax and trade legislation. He will not be lobbying during his first year at the firm in keeping with federal guidelines, a firm spokesman says.

English currently serves on the U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which advises the State Department on educational, scientific, cultural and communications issues pending before the international organization.

English could not be reached immediately for comment.

Posted by Jeff Jeffrey on April 15, 2009

How is it that English will, as Kevin put it, "keep busy with his work" on the National Commission, when he's working fulltime for Arent Fox? And why would Cuneo, who purports to be a newsman, write about English's appointment to the National Commission, but ignore his hiring by Arent Fox?

My guess is English, or a surrogate, wanted to publicize his appointment to the Commission, and fed Cuneo a blurb on it, but for his own reasons wanted to keep his job with Arent Fox quiet (which raises all kinds of conflict of interest issues), so he kept his own counsel.

It's a classic example of how crafty politicians game unwitting newsmen. And it makes a mockery of so-called "revolving door" laws which are designed to keep former lawakers like Engish, who have been privy to mountains of classified secret information, from using information they gained as "public servants" to compromise the public's interests while working for lobbying firms representing special interests.