Introducing ‘The Lofgren Loop’: Working for Zoe Lofgren is a Sweet Deal for Her Staffers

Do you have ambitions to rise to power and make a fortune working in big tech? Just get a job as a staffer for Zoe Lofgren.

According to The American Prospect, a publication that closely monitors the relationship between politicians and power “Lofgren, who represents part of Silicon Valley, opposes the suite of bills challenging the dominant tech platforms. She’s also taken a lot of money from those companies.”

But it’s not only money they say flows back and forth between Lofgren and big tech. It’s also her staff. The American Prospect exposed the details of staffers who go directly from working with Lofgren to being hired to lofty positions in Silicon Valley.

“Several Lofgren legislative staffers have found their way into Silicon Valley companies once revolving out of government. ZJ Hull, former congressional aide and counsel, is now a senior government affairs official for Apple. David Thomas, Lofgren’s former chief of staff, represented the Information Technology Industry Council, whose members include Amazon, Apple, Intel, Google, and many more. Ricky Le, the former policy adviser who traveled to Google headquarters, also lobbied for ITI, before returning to the office of Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA). Erik Stallman, a former counsel, was a lobbyist for the Internet Association, another Big Tech trade group, and a public-policy counsel for Google.”

Why wouldn’t you want to work for Lofgren? Staffers are ensured cushy jobs and powerful positions in Silicon Valley after helping her do her dirty work. This ensures that she stays closely tied to key people in big tech positions and that the money and power Lofgren gains from having her loyal soldiers hired by these companies flows right back to her too.

The Lofgren to Silocone Valley Pipeline is so blatantly obvious that we can watch the people  – and the money –  flowing back and forth in what we’ll call “The Lofgren Loop.”

“It’s hard to separate Lofgren’s positions from her record of support from the tech industry and its financial angels. The Center for Responsive Politics finds that Lofgren has received $964,816 in her career, in employee and PAC contributions, from tech companies, including Cisco, Intuit, Google and its corporate parent Alphabet, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, the National Venture Capital Association, and leading VC company Kleiner Perkins. She’s received individual donations from Kent Walker, a top Google lobbyist in Washington. A 2017 campaign fundraiser called the “Taco Truck Fiesta” was attended by Google lobbyists.”

The article continues:

“In 2013, Google paid to have Lofgren’s then–chief of staff Stacey Leavandosky fly to Google headquarters to hold meetings on “patents, cybersecurity, copyright, innovation.” Policy adviser Ricky Le also flew to Google HQ on the company’s dime in the same year. Lofgren told the Prospect that she personally hadn’t been to Google headquarters in four or five years, and hadn’t visited Apple in over a decade. She couldn’t remember her last trip to Facebook’s campus.”

Then again, why would Lofgren need to make any personal visits to Google or Facebook headquarters when she can just send the loyal people on her payroll? Especially if Lofgren’s staffers know they will be handsomely rewarded by being added directly to the Google and Facebook payrolls after ensuring their interests are mutually met.

Is the “Lofgren Loop” merely speculation on our part? Hardly. Journalists and advocates for transparency and fairness in government have been skeptical of Lofgren’s ability to serve the American people over her own greed and personal interests for decades. The writing is on the wall, and it’s written in big dollar signs.

But don’t just take it from us. The American Prospect has been warning the public about Lofgren’s inextricable relationship with Big Tech for years.

“It’s hard to separate Lofgren’s positions from her record of support from the tech industry and its financial angels. The Center for Responsive Politics finds that Lofgren has received $964,816 in her career, in employee and PAC contributions, from tech companies, including Cisco, Intuit, Google and its corporate parent Alphabet, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, the National Venture Capital Association, and leading VC company Kleiner Perkins. She’s received individual donations from Kent Walker, a top Google lobbyist in Washington. A 2017 campaign fundraiser called the ‘Taco Truck Fiesta’ was attended by Google lobbyists.”

Lofgren’s direct ties to big tech don’t just stop at staffers. Her daughter Sheila Zoe Lofgren Collins, serves as in-house corporate counsel at Google. Meanwhile, Lofgren is a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, which is charged with oversight of Big Tech and antitrust issues.

The New York Post exposed the potential abuses of power associated with this close familial relationship.

“That’s a conflict that is stymying legislation to regulate the ever-growing behemoths in her Silicon Valley district, critics on both sides of the aisle say. Lofgren is senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, which is charged with oversight of Big Tech and antitrust issues. Meanwhile, her daughter Sheila Zoe Lofgren Collins, serves as in-house corporate counsel at Google.”

The Post also details the outright intimidation tactics that power-hungry Lofgren deploys, openly intimidating any other Democrat candidate hopefuls with less personal ties to Silicon Valley from infringing on her turf.

“She has a lot of power in slowing down and even blocking bills,” a person with direct knowledge of the situation told On The Money. “She’s on a war path for the last four months — she’s even spoken openly about her ability to fundraise and is intimidating Democrats about how important tech is for fundraising.”

All this criticism and exposure hasn’t stopped Lofgren so far, even amongst calls for her to recuse herself from such positions of power.

Jeff Hauser, founder and director of the Revolving Door Project, a progressive group that examines money in politics calls Lofgren’s familial ties to Silicon Valley  “problematic.” “It’s definitely a conflict of interest and if I were Lofgren I’d want to address the concerns by recusing myself — not taking a leadership role.”

Hauser alleges Lofgren is “carrying water” for her daughter’s company.

With an army of former staffers and her own daughter sitting in key positions in Silicone Valley can there be any doubt that there is a dubious, if not outright wrongful, relationship between Big Tech and Zoe Lofgren that could help Lofgren and her loyalists while hurting the American people? Or will the people of her new voting district 18 who benefit far less from turning a blind eye to Lofgren’s open secrets fight back against a compromised Congresswoman who doesn’t represent their interests and finally say enough is enough?

Artist interpretation of Rep. Zoe Lofgren by MK10 Art.

Janine Morrison

Janine Morrison is a writer, editor, and gardening enthusiast.

Janine Morrison

Janine Morrison is a writer, editor, and gardening enthusiast.

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