'Financial problems' hastened Lott's retirement, Specter says
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
By Bill Toland and Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sen. Arlen Specter yesterday said it was his understanding that new regulations on lobbying by ex-lawmakers played a significant role in Sen. Trent Lott's decision to retire, contradicting what the Mississippi senator told reporters in his home state.
If he steps down at the end of the year, Mr. Lott, a Republican, will be able to begin lobbying after just a year's wait, rather than two.
Mr. Specter suggested Mr. Lott has been experiencing "financial problems" since Hurricane Katrina destroyed his beachfront home in Pascagoula, Miss., in 2005. Soon after, he involved himself in a class-action legal dispute with State Farm Insurance, claiming the wreckage was caused primarily by the high winds and not by flooding. Many homeowner's policies don't cover flood damage but will cover wind damage.
Mr. Specter said the early retirement would allow Mr. Lott to make more money than he does now, and even said that it's not easy for a senator to make ends meet on the $165,000 base salary, noting that most of them have to keep two homes -- one in their home states and one in or near Washington, D.C.
"I'm sorry to see him leave," Mr. Specter said in Pittsburgh yesterday.
Mr. Specter said he has no intention of pursuing Mr. Lott's to-be-vacated post as GOP whip in the Senate, but added that he's expecting fierce competition for the spot.
"The maneuvering has already started for that," he said. "I got two telephone calls already this morning."
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who worked alongside Mr. Lott for less than a year, said they had developed a good relationship.
"We were on the opposite sides of some issues, but he was always collegial and very welcoming to me when I came to the Senate," said Mr. Casey, who was elected last year.
Bill Toland can be reached at
[email protected] or 412-263-2625. Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at
[email protected] or 202-488-3479.
First published on November 27, 2007 at 12:00 am