Bill Lynn, former Raytheon lobbyist and current nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, received a "waiver" from the Obama administration in order to qualify for a post at the Defense Department. Still, his confirmation is in jeopardy as some Democrats balk at Obama so flagrantly violating his own rules. Adding fuel to the fire, Josh Rogin, who first broke the story of Lynn's confirmation trouble, reports that Lynn's tenure as Pentagon comptroller in the late '90s may create further problems for his appointment:
The White House sought to smooth William Lynn's confirmation to a top Defense Department post by exempting him from new ethics rules, but now scrutiny of his last stint at the Pentagon has presented new questions about his nomination. Lynn, nominated by President Obama to be deputy Defense secretary, previously served as the Pentagon's comptroller during the latter half of the Clinton administration. He was tasked with the dual mission to reform the Pentagon's antiquated financial management systems and move the world's largest corporation closer to its first-ever clean audit. But Pentagon investigators, experts and watchdog groups noted little if any progress toward those goals after he spent four years at the post. Moreover, some allege that Lynn sought to relax accounting rules while in office and misled congressional staff on Defense budget matters.
Republicans rolled over for Geithner, who got a waiver from Obama on not paying taxes. Lynn may not be so lucky.