Mary Landrieu, who lost her Louisiana Senate seat in 2014 to Bill Cassidy, has landed a job with Washington lobbying firm Van Ness Feldman This is not a surprise as she was besties with the biggest fossil fuel industries on the planet. Landrieu’s move to a firm filled with clients she helped promote continues Washington revolving door of politicians joining the industries she used to promote as Senator.
According to the website Open Secrets, VNF's client base includes several companies dealing in oil and gas, as well as the energy field in general — a natural fit for Landrieu, who served as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in 2014. The company has offices in Washington D.C. and Seattle.
A December article in Politico, published shortly after Landrieu lost her bid for the Senate, described her as "a hot commodity on K Street," adding, "Several headhunters, veteran lobbyists and consultants said Landrieu’s status as a moderate Democrat and senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee make her a top recruit from Capitol Hill."
In a statement from VNF, Landrieu was quoted as saying, “I am proud to join Van Ness Feldman. I have always respected the firm and worked closely with them during my 18 years in the Senate. Their substantive and sophisticated approach to important public policy issues in the areas of energy, the environment and natural resources was a major factor in my decision making process. It is a bipartisan firm that has its roots in the Congress itself, being founded in 1977 by four senior counsels of key House and Senate legislative committees. I look forward to being part of the Van Ness Feldman team to help businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations achieve solutions for the wide range of challenges they face."