Dick Armey Leaves DLA Piper, Cites ‘Load of Guff’ Over FreedomWorks
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey has resigned from DLA Piper because of controversy over his association with a group opposing health reform.
Armey says he is resigning because of critics who wrongly linked his work at the nonprofit group FreedomWorks to his work at DLA Piper, the National Law Journal reports. The backlash was harming pharmaceutical and health care companies that had paid DLA Piper for lobbying work.
“Quite frankly, even with me being relatively quiet sitting in Texas, the firm and a few of the clients were taking a load of guff,” Armey told the National Law Journal. “I could see that this fight was bringing innocent people in harm’s way.”
Armey spoke to the NLJ as he was about to become more outspoken; he had scheduled a speech opposing health reform for the next day. “What was going to happen when I show up in Atlanta tomorrow?” he wondered.
DLA Piper has issued a press release emphasizing that the law firm “has not, on its own behalf, or on the behalf of any client, directly or indirectly opposed any of the pending health care reform bills,” the New York Times’ Prescriptions blog reports.
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog published DLA Piper’s entire statement.
