CHAPTER 23

Capitol Hill

Washington, D. C.

March

NOT COUNTING THE TIME spent on the San Francisco City Council and the state assembly, it had taken Senator Lisa Ann Bolls more than two decades to become the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Though it had taken the support of countless political allies to get her there, the true author of her success was Stewart McGovern. McGovern had served briefly in the Senate as well, appointed to finish out the remainder of the term for a member from his home state of Nevada who had passed away while in office. When he was defeated in the next primary election by the state’s popular attorney general, he took his talents to K Street, where he was quickly able to monetize his relationships with his former colleagues.

After thirty-five years as an attorney and lobbyist, there was not a door that McGovern could not open, or an ear into which he could not whisper. His social skills helped, no doubt, but the real source of his influence had nothing to do with his personality. Thanks to a client list that would make any D. C. lobbying firm envious, Stewart McGovern could raise staggering amounts of money. Campaign dollars were the lifeblood upon which politicians fed, and McGovern kept members of both parties in ample supply.

There is a $117, 000 limit on the amount of direct federal campaign contributions that each U. S. citizen can make. Stewart McGovern’s personal contributions hit that numerical ceiling every year and he made sure that each of the other twenty-nine attorneys and lobbyists in his firm did the same. His firm alone handed out $3. 5 million in perfectly legal, reported campaign contributions to member and leadership political action committees. Add in ancillary contributions to national and state political parties as well as members’ pet charities that often employed the members’ spouses or children, and one would start to get a picture of how much influence can be legally obtained in Washington. Each of Stewart’s clients in the defense, energy, insurance, and health care industries and their respective executives took his direction on where to make their own political contributions; the aggregate was a staggering amount of money. According to reports of the Federal Election Commission, McGovern & Davis LP took in just under $40 million per year in lobbying revenue, in addition to the nonreportable money they made doing legal work.

Senator Bolls was the number one recipient of campaign dollars from the clients of McGovern & Davis LP, thanks no doubt to her committee’s jurisdiction over vast segments of the United States government and their corresponding budgets. So, when McGovern wanted to see Senator Bolls, he didn’t call her scheduler or the staff member responsible for the subject matter of his request; he simply strolled through her doorway in the Hart Senate Office Building. He walked past the receptionist, past the row of Senator Bolls’s constituents waiting to meet with her or her staff, and to the open doorway of Becca Callen, the senator’s chief of staff.

“Can I get in to see her? I just need a minute. ”

Becca Callen hadn’t heard him walk into her office, thanks to the soft carpeted floor, but she was accustomed to constant interruptions and instantly recognized the voice of her boss’s confidant and benefactor.

“Oh, hey, Stewart. Let me pull up her schedule, ” she said, minimizing a Word document on her computer screen.

Two clicks later, she was looking at her boss’s calendar, which was booked solid from a breakfast speech at 8: 00 a. m. to a dinner that would last until nearly midnight. Like them or not, you couldn’t say that Senate members didn’t stay busy.

“She’s wrapping up a meeting now. I can fit you in before her next appointment, ” she said, leading him to the senator’s door.

Even at his age, McGovern liked to eye the often-attractive congressional staff members, but Callen was a bit too “granola” for his tastes. She was competent and smart, though, and knew better than to give him any trouble when it came to granting access to her boss. She knocked on the door and didn’t wait for a response before opening it and sticking her head in.

“Madam Chair, Mr. McGovern is here to see you. ”

“Thank you, Becca. ”

Senator Bolls rose, signaling the end of the meeting. She shook hands with two lobbyists whom McGovern knew by face if not name. He nodded and graciously stepped aside as they and two staff members in their twenties quickly filed out of the office. Senator Bolls walked from behind her desk to greet her closest political ally and gave him a genuinely warm hug.

“How are you, Stewart? ”

“I’m great; we just got back from our place in Naples. I couldn’t stand the thought of coming back to this weather, but duty calls and Pam was dying to get home and see the grandkids. ”

“I bet she was. Have a seat. What can I do for you? ”

“This won’t take long. I have a little export issue that I need resolved. One of my clients, as you know, is the Republic of Turkey. They are fighting ISIS and are looking to upgrade some of their weapons. Their military wants to purchase a couple of sample rifles and scopes along with some ammunition so that they can try them out. The U. S. companies that make the rifles and scopes can’t export them without an ITAR permit, and State is going to take forever on this, ” he explained, referencing the export control regulations designed to prevent weapons from being transferred to foreign entities without the approval of the U. S. government. “Think you could make a call or two? ”

Bolls frowned. “This isn’t something I’m going to regret, is it, Stewart? I don’t want to end up like Leland Yee, ” she said, referring to a California state senator who was convicted and imprisoned for trafficking in arms despite a long history of support for stronger gun control laws.

“Ha, you know I would never ask you to do anything that would put you at risk, Lisa. We’re talking about two rifles going to a NATO country in the fight against a terrorist organization. This is mom-and-apple-pie stuff. ”

“What do you need me to do? ”

“Well, here’s the deal: SOCOM has the most flexibility when it comes to procurement. Do you think you could call a general down in Tampa and get them to take delivery? Then they can ship the rifles to their counterparts in Turkey and everything is aboveboard. ”

“Aboveboard? ”

“How about ‘legal’? ”

The senator hesitated but Stewart flashed her that look. Damn him. “Fine. Give the details to Becca and I’ll see what I can do. Anything else? ”

“Can I get another hug? ”

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