Palin Policy Adviser Works for Foreign Governments

Orion Strategies a registered agent for Taiwan, Georgia
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2010 2:47 AM CDT
Palin Policy Adviser Works for Foreign Governments
Palin's involvement with Orion is likely to become an issue if she runs for public office again.   (AP Photo)

The company Sarah Palin is paying for foreign policy advice is also being paid to lobby lawmakers on behalf of Taiwan, Georgia, and Montenegro. Palin's political action committee isn't breaking any laws by hiring Orion Strategies, Reuters notes, but the firm's work on behalf of foreign governments raises questions about the impartiality of the advice she's getting.

The firm was founded by Randy Scheunemann, a lobbyist who provided advice to the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign. The possible conflict of interest will be "fair game" if Palin decides to run for office again, a University of Virginia politics professor says. For now, "she's an undeclared candidate," he notes. "She can always say, 'I'm not a candidate; I'm not making official policy; he's not influencing official policy.'" (More Orion stories.)

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