Two top Bush administration officials whose reputations for strategic acumen were badly damaged by the disasters of the Bush years may be about to market their expertise to private-sector clients.
In September, the RiceHadley Group LLC was registered as a business in California, under a San Francisco address. According to a source, the venture is to be a “strategic consulting” firm, headed by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and will be launched imminently.
Neither Rice nor Hadley responded to TPMmuckraker’s requests for comment.
A website at the URL “ricehadley.com” is said to be “under construction.” According to internet records, the site was registered October 2. A woman with an Alexandria, Virginia mailing address — who also did not respond to our attempts to contact her — is listed as the administrative contact for the domain name.
Asked whether the Hoover Institution, where Rice is currently a senior fellow, was aware of plans for the firm, a spokeswoman replied that it was.
She added that Rice has not indicated she has any plans to leave Hoover, and that it’s not unusual for fellows to have outside positions.
Rice and Hadley worked closely together during President Bush’s first term, when Hadley served as Rice’s deputy, while Rice was National Security Advisor.
Hadley is currently a senior advisor at the United States Institute for Peace.
Late Update: Colby Cooper, Rice’s “chief of staff,” told TPMmuckraker: “Her private goals and aspirations are private at this stage.” He pledged to get back to us, but didn’t respond to a follow-up call.
Late Late Update: Cooper tells TPMmuckraker in a statement that the new firm will focus on helping U.S. companies doing business in emerging markets.
