Nepotism, Conflict of Interest, and Really Dumb Stuff

I can’t help but notice how debased the Google-DoubleClick merger discussion has become.

It started this morning when I read on Scott Cleland’s blog that C|Net journalist Declan McCullagh failed to reveal that his wife worked at Google in publishing his great article exposing Commerce Committee Joe Barton’s selective interest in privacy and merger issues.

So selective is Barton’s interest in privacy that he favored the USA-PATRIOT Act and the REAL ID Act. Now there’s a privacy hawk for you.

Now I discover that the Electronic Privacy Information Center has petitioned to have FTC Chairman Deborah Majoras recuse herself from any review of the merger because of her and her husband’s relationships with a law firm that represents DoubleClick.

There’s some merit to both of these arguments. Declan probably should have revealed that his wife works for Google. People who haven’t been reading his treatments of issues like this for years might think he was saying something different than he otherwise would. I don’t know the ethics rules or traditional practices with regard to relationships and recusal at the FTC, but it might be appropriate for Majoras to recuse herself.

But what’s really interesting is Barton’s motivation, revealed in Declan’s really good piece.

[Barton and Google CEO Eric Schmidt] met in person on November 7 and the idea of a visit came up. But then, Barton said in his letter on Wednesday, “all efforts to reach a mutually agreeable time have been rebuffed, and it begins to seem that no date for a visit is sufficiently convenient to Google. Your warm initial invitation followed by Google’s chilly response to a proposed visit by Committee counsels is disconcerting.”

. . .

Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich said Wednesday that Barton’s aides are more than welcome to visit the ‘plex. He said the dispute was essentially over dates: Barton suggested on November 20 that his aides visit on November 27 and November 28, precisely when their Google counterparts happened to be in Florida for the Republican YouTube debate. Barton didn’t suggest any alternate dates, and, Kovacevich added, the House aides said they were unable to come during early December because Congress would be in session.

Barton’s staff haven’t been able to schedule a junket to Mountain View! They haven’t gotten a chance to dine on the famously fancy food the Googlers eat! This has Representative Barton “disconcerted” about the merger and really worried about privacy!

Recall that I said I “notice” how debased the issue is. I didn’t say I’m surprised. Feh. Washington.

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