Blake Farenthold
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold has accepted a lucrative position lobbying for a port in his ex-Texas district — mere weeks after resigning in disgrace amid fallout from using public funds to settle a past sexual harassment complaint.
The Calhoun Port Authority announced Monday that Farenthold would promote its interests in Washington and assist “in resolving funding issues.”
“Blake has always been a strong supporter of the Calhoun Port Authority and is familiar with the issues facing the port,” it said in a statement. Port Director Charles R. Hausmann said Farenthold’s annual salary will be $160,000.
The port is located in the Gulf Coast community of Point Comfort, an area hit by Hurricane Harvey last summer.
A former Farenthold congressional staffer didn’t return messages seeking comment Monday, but the ex-congressman himself told radio station KKTX that he’d taken a job about a 90-minute drive from his home in Corpus Christi.
We should all be so fortuitous with our employment prospects. And just to prove that it’s better to be lucky than good, there’s this:
Former House members are prohibited from acting as lobbyists for at least one year after leaving office. But there’s a loophole: The lobbying restrictions do not apply to employees or officials of federal, state or local governments. Since the port is run by the government, Farenthold does not have to abide by the mandatory one-year “cooling-off” period.
Life sure is beautiful, ain’t it?
I don’t know who’s to blame here for this shenanigans – Farenthold or Port Comfort/Calhoun Port Authority ? Blake has to be laughing all the way to the bank. I can only hope he’s required to live there, in the group of homes a rock throw away from the Formosa Plastic plant.