Former NFL lobbyist, now White House aid, pushing UIGEA regulations

[The Buzz]

Politico is reporting that Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) is questioning whether one of the president's top political aids, William Wichterman, disclosed a possible conflict of interest while pushing the administration to enact UIGEA regulations.

As late as March, Wichterman was a registered lobbyist with Covington & Burling, where he represented the National Football League, according to the Senate lobbying disclosure database. In that role, he worked on the Internet gaming laws, one of the league's top legislative priorities.

...

Wichterman and others backers of the bill, like Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), have been pushing the administration to enact these changes before Nov. 17, in the narrow window before the new administration could make any changes, according to people familiar with these deliberations.

The Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve must sign off on the language of the law before the administration can implement these new rules. There is a 60-day review process, so current administration officials want their recommended language to take effect before the next administration takes over.

In his letter to the White House, Cohen suggests Wichterman “has been a source of considerable political pressure to speed this regulation through finalization.”

Full story here ... http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15442.html

[The Buzz]

Good story in the Washington Post on this today ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=moreheadlines