Alongside Barney Frank, who released a similar statement, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., has written a letter to White House counsel Fred Fielding complaining that it appears the Bush Administration wants to finalize federal rules against Internet gambling before it leaves office.
Cohen, a proponent of the Internet gambling that Congress banned in 2006, also raised questions about William Wichterman, a White House staffer. Wichterman represented the National Football League, a proponent of the proposed rule, as a lobbyist as recently as March of this year.
“I am sure you will agree that, at a minimum, the appearance of a conflict of interest is undeniable,” Cohen wrote.
Cohen, instrumental in bring the lottery to Tennessee, called the late regulatory effort “midnight rulemaking.”
Casinos and gambling interests gave Cohen $64,000 in his recent bid for re-election, the third-largest industry group after lawyers and retirees, according to the center for Responsive Politics, a Washington watchdog group.
When the Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Internet gambling last November, Cohen’s questions to witnesses, including a representative of the Family Research Council, made his position clear. Five days later, he attended a fundraiser in Las Vegas where he collected checks from 10 professional gamblers, some with nicknames like Texas Dolly and Vegas Stud.
Cohen’s letter raises questions about Wichterman’s role in the rulemaking effort and on the White House policy on conflicts of interest. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
