Walking Swamp Creature Tim Pawlenty Sees No Conflict By Continuing To Serve On Corporate Boards

After making millions as a DC lobbyist, Tim Pawlenty is still serving special interests

Tim Pawlenty has changed. He spent years creating the myth that he knew the plights affecting working and middle class families, but he’s left no doubt where his true allegiance lies now.. After Pawlenty made millions as a lobbyist for Wall Street, a stunning new report by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) revealed that Pawlenty continues to serve corporate boards, and may have pushed for policies at the end of his tenure that benefited one of the companies he oversees.
The benefits for the corporations are obvious. They get the inside track on favorable regulations if Tim Pawlenty were to get elected. This includes Minnesota’s natural resources eyed by one of the companies Pawlenty helps oversee.
But the benefits for Minnesotans? It presents a huge conflict of interest for a candidate vying to lead the state.
Even more shocking is that Tim Pawlenty may have pushed for favorable tax credits for Miromatrix during his final months as governor, only to join the board ten months after finishing as governor. From the MPR report:
In 2011 and 2012 combined, Miromatrix investors qualified for nearly $900,000 in angel tax credits, among the most tied to a single company over that span. The company also got loans from the state during Pawlenty’s time.
About 10 months after finishing as governor, Pawlenty would land on the Miromatrix board of directors.
“A DC lobbyist, corporate board member, and candidate for governor walk into a bar in Minnesota, but the only person standing there is Tim Pawlenty,” said Democratic Governors Association Deputy Communications Director David Turner. “It’s unbelievable that Tim Pawlenty sees nothing wrong with working for corporations hoping to gain favorable terms for access to Minnesota’s natural resources.  It just illustrates how out-of-touch he is after spending five years as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Does anyone believe this is what Minnesota voters want right now?”
As one Minnesota political scientist summed it up, “[Pawlenty] kind of embodies everything they don’t like about the Republican Party. He’s corporate, he governed but didn’t really transform government, and he came out and savaged Trump during the campaign.”

###