Former Clinton Administration Diplomat Involved In Negotiations Was On The Boeing Payroll

A former diplomat under then-President Bill Clinton who helped push through the Iran nuclear deal was being supported financially by Boeing, according to a report from Fox News.

Thomas Pickering publicly lobbied for the deal last year, writing editorial pieces, communicating with high-level officials, and testifying before Congress in favor of the pact.

He was also on Boeing's payroll during the negotiations, which he never denied by also did not often voluntarily disclose. Now, Boeing is reported to be near at $25 billion deal with Iran for new airliners.

Pickering told The Daily Beast that he had been a Boeing employee from 2001 to 2006, and then left direct employment to become a consultant to the planemaker through 2015.

Transparency advocates say that the connection is problematic. Fox reports that Neil Gordon, an investigator for the Project on Government Oversight, that such direct connections should be disclosed, saying the public has a right to know about any direct financial stake a participant might have in the outcome of such negotiations.

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