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Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama's speech announcing his running mate Joe Biden singled out the Delaware senator's son who is headed for Iraq. Obama didn't mention the profession of Biden's other son, who lobbied for two drug companies and five universities.
Hunter Biden's work for Oldaker, Biden & Belair on behalf of biotech clients Achaogen, Inc., of South San Francisco and Pulmatrix, Inc., of Lexington, Massachusetts, illustrates the quandary posed when legislators have lobbyists within the family.
``It's always something to watch out for when you have a high-ranking member of Congress or an important senator whose child goes into the influence business,'' said Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington nonprofit that advocates transparency.
Influential Connection
``It's not necessarily that the father's going to do favors for the child's clients, but that every other member knows who his father is and what the connection is and that can carry a lot of influence as well,'' Allison said in an interview.
