Another Spouse Cashes In On Ties to Lewis

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Paul reported yesterday on Richard White, the husband of aide-turned-lobbyist Letitia White, who’s getting a piece of the action through his wife’s connections to House Appropriations Chair Jerry Lewis (R-CA).

But Richard isn’t the only spouse getting cut in because of ties to the world of Jerry Lewis. Alexandra Shockey, the wife of another Lewis aide-turned-lobbyist, Jeffrey Shockey, is also doing well for herself as a lobbyist with extraordinary connections to Lewis.

After several years as a Lewis aide, Alexandra dropped out of her political career to raise a family, returning only when her husband gave up his million-dollar-plus lobbying gig to work for Lewis again. She scooped up his clients — and a lobbyist’s income — to push their interests in front of Lewis, while her husband, now a senior aide on Lewis’ committee, helps her old boss dole out $900 billion in federal money every year.

According to the Shockeys’ attorney, longtime political finance lawyer William Oldaker, Jeffrey recuses himself from any decisions involving Alex’s (formerly his own) clients. And Lewis has defended the couple, saying they “have gone out of their way to make sure they are strictly adhering to the spirit and the letter of the law.”

Unlike Richard White, whose only apparent connection to the wonderful world of earmarks is through his wife, Alexandra Shockey’s entire Beltway career has been under Lewis’ wing. According to news accounts, Alexandra — a native of Claremont, Calif. — came to Washington in 1991 as an intern at the House Republican Conference, which Lewis chaired. A few months later she was made a staff assistant at the Conference. In April 1992 she joined Lewis’ personal staff as a staff assistant. She was later promoted to legislative assistant. In 1997, she married her co-worker Jeff Shockey, and eventually left Lewis’ staff to start a family.

She only returned to the Washington game in 2005, to take over some of her husband’s lobbying accounts when he left Copeland Lowery.

Although husband Jeff got out of lobbying last year, he hardly left with empty pockets: the firm gave him a $600,000 parting check. And he may have received more since then; disclosure forms showing money House staff received in 2005 are released next week. Who knows what surprises they hold.

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