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Sunday, October 31, 2004

Day Job
Presidential appointments are an ongoing effort. Some appointments will require Senate confirmation. These appointments are for positions throughout the federal government, for the Cabinet and subcabinet, for members of regulatory commissions, for ambassadorships, for judgeships and for members of numerous advisory boards.

The President will also make many other political appointments that do not require Senate confirmation.

To serve our country as a member of the administration will be both an honor and a privilege. However, government service is not for everyone. Anyone thinking about applying should be aware that:

The hours are long and the pace intense. There is much public/press scrutiny, as you would expect in an open, democratic form of government such as ours.


Most applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a full FBI background check in which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories will be reviewed and scrutinized.

The financial holdings and sources of income for most applicants under serious consideration must be disclosed for review for possible conflicts of interest, and any conflicts must be remedied by divestiture, the creation of special trusts, etc.

Most appointees’ dealings with the Federal government during and for a period of time after their service will be significantly restricted to prevent possible conflicts of interest.

Anyone wanting to apply for a non-career position in the Executive Office of the President or a Federal Department, Agency or Commission should proceed as follows:

Fill out an application form and submit it electronically. You will be sent an email or card indicating that your application has been received. Your information will be kept on file for as long as the President is in office, and you will be considered for the position(s) or subject area(s) in which you have expressed an interest whenever openings occur.

If and when you are considered for a specific position, you will be asked to fill out a Personal Data Statement for White House review. At this point you will be asked about possible conflicts of interest deriving from your sources of income; all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organizations to which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles, and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration.

If the White House is further interested in your nomination, you will be asked to fill out FBI and financial disclosure forms for subsequent review and approval. To have a better understanding of the information you will be asked to provide, you can review the security clearance form for National Security Positions and the financial disclosure form for higher level positions. You should know that most appointees are required to file financial disclosure statements annually during their service.

If the position for which you are being considered requires Senate confirmation, the Senate committee that reviews nominations for that position may ask you to provide additional information. You should assume that all the information you provide during any part of this process is ultimately subject to public disclosure, if requested, per the Freedom of Information Act.

This process is very demanding of the applicant, as the jobs and appointments are demanding of those selected for them. The President appreciates your willingness to serve and wants to make it as easy as possible for you to pursue your interest in joining the administration.



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