Lobbyists Pull Luetkemeyer's Strings

The New York Times reports today that Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer published a statement in his own name that was actually written by lobbyists for the biotech company Genentech.

Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies...

In separate statements using language suggested by the lobbyists, Representatives Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri and Joe Wilson of South Carolina, both Republicans, said: “One of the reasons I have long supported the U.S. biotechnology industry is that it is a homegrown success story that has been an engine of job creation in this country. Unfortunately, many of the largest companies that would seek to enter the biosimilar market have made their money by outsourcing their research to foreign countries like India.”

To be fair, this sort of thing probably happens more than any of us would  like to believe. But Luetkemeyer's willingness to carry water for lobbyists in this manner seems like an unusually sloppy and blatant example of a legislator not thinking for himself -- or on behalf his constituents.

h/t Show Me Progress