Booknotes, Brian Lamb interviews Pat Choate

http://www.booknotes.org/transcripts/50034.htm

LAMB: Now let me jump before you finish that ... But then if you go
to your appendix, you'll find that Robert Strauss and Akin, Gump, law
firm which he is a major partner in, gets a tremendous amount of
money today from Japan?

CHOATE: His law firm does. Robert Strauss is not registered as a
lobbyist for any foreign interest. Briefly, after he left the Carter
administration, he registered as a lobbyist for the People's Republic
of China. But that lasted only briefly. And subsequently, he has not
officially been a foreign agent for any foreign government or any
foreign corporation, though his law firm does represent a Japanese
corporation.

LAMB: Well, what does that mean, though? Does that mean he cannot
pick up the phone and call anybody and talk to them about a Japanese
problem?

CHOATE: He could, but the registration laws are so porous today it
would not be incumbent upon him to register there.

LAMB: So a lawyer in his firm can go and say, "I'm with Bob Strauss'
law firm, and I'm here to talk to you about such and such." And so
you get the connection.

CHOATE: Right.

LAMB: I guess really what I want to ask you is whether or not if you
took the
Bob Strausses and the Harold Malgrems and all of these people that
used to be
in the government who are now making money off of representing foreign
companies out of this process here in Washington, would it make a
difference?
And would we have 28 American television manufacturers still in this
country?

CHOATE: I think it would make a big difference.

LAMB: Would it make the difference?

CHOATE: It would make...

LAMB: Can you buy your way into this town and into the politics?

CHOATE: If the American companies were making first-class goods and
services -- and the American companies were with the televisions. If
you closed the revolving door, it would make the difference because
what would happen is those who are in office, who are negotiating
from America, would know that the person across the table with whom
they were negotiating would -- there would be no possibility that
they would be a client. And so they could be hard-nosed on them.

LAMB: Can you buy American politicians?

CHOATE: You've always been able to buy American influence, let's say,
in this country. The difficulty that we have today is that many of
the decisions are made by the executive branch. They have great
latitude and authority. Many of the people who come and make the
decisions are simply passing through, only going to be there for 18
months. When they come and pass through, they're attempting to
develop a client list.