Difference between revisions of "Andrew Cochran (US lobbyist)"

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'''Andrew Cochran''' is Vice President of the Washington lobbying firm [[GAGE]] and founder of [[Counterterrorism Blog]]. Below is his biography from GAGE’s website:
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[[Image:Andrew_Cochran.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Andrew Cochran]]
  
<blockquote style="background-color:beige;border:1pt solid Darkgoldenrod;padding:1%">Andrew Cochran, Vice President, advises clients on terrorism and homeland security, corporate governance and appropriations issues.  Clients include Motley Rice LLC, one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms; VeriSign, Inc., which enables and protects billions of interactions every day across the world’s voice and data networks; and i-SAFE America, Inc., a leader in providing Internet safety education for children, educators, and parents. He is also the Founder and Co-Editor of The Counterterrorism Blog, the first multi-expert website dedicated solely to terrorism issues, and the co-Chairman of The Counterterrorism Foundation. He has appeared in numerous media outlets, including CBS News, MSNBC, the Fox News Channel, BBC Radio, Congressional Quarterly, and Roll Call to discuss terrorism issues and events. Mr. Cochran previously served as Senior VP of Public Policy Partners LLC from January 2004 until that firm merged with GAGE in September 2005.<br>Mr. Cochran has over 18 years of experience in the oversight of the management of Cabinet-level agencies. From early 2001 through 2003, Mr. Cochran was senior oversight counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, chaired by Rep. Michael Oxley (R-OH). He conducted oversight activities covering the Committee’s jurisdiction over federal regulation of banking, securities, insurance, and housing, with his investigations ranging from major identity theft and housing fraud cases to federal money laundering and anti-terrorist financing issues. He also led investigations into the corporate accounting scandals, including the first Congressional hearings on Enron, Global Crossing, and WorldCom.  Mr. Cochran was the primary committee liaison with GAO and the Inspectors General of Treasury, HUD, and the federal financial regulators.<br>Prior to his service on the committee, Mr. Cochran served for almost 11 years as a division director and senior analyst at the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General.  Performance audits conducted under his direction resulted in tens of millions of dollars in savings and effected changes in important departmental policies.  As the director of an audit division focused on NOAA, he directed the first audit of a fishery management decision by NOAA and a regional fishery management council.  Mr. Cochran received the Commerce OIG’s highest award for effecting material improvements through that audit to the fishery management decision process.<br>Mr. Cochran also served for almost five years in the Reagan Administration as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce and to the Under Secretary for Expert Administration.  He was the Deputy Secretary’s management specialist, advising the Deputy Secretary on Commerce budget and management decisions and initiatives. He led a change in the departmental approval process for consulting contracts which saved $2 million in three years.<br>Mr. Cochran also was a CPA in Ohio with a nationally known firm in the early 1980s prior to his government service, and he briefly practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C. He earned a B.S. in Accounting (cum laude) from Miami University (Ohio) and a J.D. and M.B.A. (magna cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame.  Mr. Cochran is a licensed attorney in Virginia and Washington, DC. He is married and lives in northern Virginia.<ref>GAGE business consulting and government affairs [http://gage.cc/index.php/site/our_team Our Team] (accessed 28 March 2008)</ref></blockquote>
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'''Andrew Cochran''' is Vice President of the Washington lobbying firm [[GAGE]], founder of [[Counterterrorism Blog]] and a lobbyist for [[Steve Emerson]] and the [[Investigative Project]]. He has also appeared as a media pundit on terrorism on numerous media outlets, including CBS News, MSNBC, the Fox News Channel, BBC Radio, and Congressional Quarterly.
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==Early Career==
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Cochran has a B.S. in Accounting from Miami University and a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. He was a accountant in Ohio in the early 1980s and he briefly practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C. He served for almost five years in the Reagan Administration as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce and to the Under Secretary for Expert Administration. He was the Deputy Secretary’s management specialist, advising the Deputy Secretary on Commerce budget and management decisions and initiatives. He then worked for almost 11 years as a division director and senior analyst at the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General. <ref>GAGE business consulting and government affairs [http://gage.cc/index.php/site/our_team Our Team] (accessed 28 March 2008)</ref>
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==House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services==
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From early 2001 through 2003, Cochran was senior oversight counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services. He covered the Committee’s jurisdiction over federal regulation of banking, securities, insurance, and housing, with his investigations ranging from major identity theft and housing fraud cases to federal money laundering and anti-terrorist financing issues. He also led investigations into the corporate accounting scandals.
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==Counterterrorism Blog founder==
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After leaving the Committee on Financial Services Cochran became a lobbyist and counterterrorism activist. According to his own account Cochran founded [[Counterterrorism Blog]] as a result of his experience at the House of Representatives Committee, where he says he, "had the opportunity to reach Administration officials, academics, and independent experts who ferret out, sometimes at great personal risk, critical information on individuals, groups, and the linkages among and between them and with state sponsors."<ref>Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, [http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/AndrewCochranCTConferenceSpeech.pdf 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF)], 30 January 2007</ref> These experts included [[Investigative Project]] ‘experts’ [[Steve Emerson]], [[Evan Kohlmann]] and [[Matthew Epstein]] who testified before the Committee on 11 March 2003. After leaving the Committee in late 2003 Cochran says he, "endeavored to build a consulting practice with a homeland security and counterterrorism
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component which would support the interests of the private sector in the Global War on
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Terror".<ref>Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, [http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/AndrewCochranCTConferenceSpeech.pdf 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF)], 30 January 2007</ref> His desire to do so was reinforced after listening to a seminar on terrorism in December 2004 featuring [[Peter Bergen]], and he says he spent that month designing the blog and recruiting experts. The site opened on 5 January 2005.<ref>Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, [http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/AndrewCochranCTConferenceSpeech.pdf 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF)], 30 January 2007</ref>
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==Lobbyist==
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Cochran worked at the lobbying firm [[Durenberger/Foote]] before becoming Senior VP of [[Public Policy Partners]] in January 2004. That firm merged with [[GAGE]] in September 2005.<ref>Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, [http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/AndrewCochranCTConferenceSpeech.pdf 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF)], 30 January 2007</ref> In September 2005 Public Policy Partners merged with [[GAGE]]. Cochran’s clients at Durenberger/Foote and Public Policy Partners included the [[Investigative Project]] and the law firm [[Motley Rice]].
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==Resources==
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*[[Media:Steven Emerson Public Policy Partnership Year End Report 2004.pdf]]
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*[[Media: Steven Emerson Durenberger-Foote Year End Report 2005.pdf]]
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*[[Media: Steven Emerson Public Policy Partners mid-year termination report 2006.pdf]]
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==Notes==
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<references/>
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[[category:Terrorexpertise]]

Revision as of 16:40, 9 April 2008

Andrew Cochran

Andrew Cochran is Vice President of the Washington lobbying firm GAGE, founder of Counterterrorism Blog and a lobbyist for Steve Emerson and the Investigative Project. He has also appeared as a media pundit on terrorism on numerous media outlets, including CBS News, MSNBC, the Fox News Channel, BBC Radio, and Congressional Quarterly.

Early Career

Cochran has a B.S. in Accounting from Miami University and a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. He was a accountant in Ohio in the early 1980s and he briefly practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C. He served for almost five years in the Reagan Administration as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce and to the Under Secretary for Expert Administration. He was the Deputy Secretary’s management specialist, advising the Deputy Secretary on Commerce budget and management decisions and initiatives. He then worked for almost 11 years as a division director and senior analyst at the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General. [1]

House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services

From early 2001 through 2003, Cochran was senior oversight counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services. He covered the Committee’s jurisdiction over federal regulation of banking, securities, insurance, and housing, with his investigations ranging from major identity theft and housing fraud cases to federal money laundering and anti-terrorist financing issues. He also led investigations into the corporate accounting scandals.

Counterterrorism Blog founder

After leaving the Committee on Financial Services Cochran became a lobbyist and counterterrorism activist. According to his own account Cochran founded Counterterrorism Blog as a result of his experience at the House of Representatives Committee, where he says he, "had the opportunity to reach Administration officials, academics, and independent experts who ferret out, sometimes at great personal risk, critical information on individuals, groups, and the linkages among and between them and with state sponsors."[2] These experts included Investigative Project ‘experts’ Steve Emerson, Evan Kohlmann and Matthew Epstein who testified before the Committee on 11 March 2003. After leaving the Committee in late 2003 Cochran says he, "endeavored to build a consulting practice with a homeland security and counterterrorism component which would support the interests of the private sector in the Global War on Terror".[3] His desire to do so was reinforced after listening to a seminar on terrorism in December 2004 featuring Peter Bergen, and he says he spent that month designing the blog and recruiting experts. The site opened on 5 January 2005.[4]

Lobbyist

Cochran worked at the lobbying firm Durenberger/Foote before becoming Senior VP of Public Policy Partners in January 2004. That firm merged with GAGE in September 2005.[5] In September 2005 Public Policy Partners merged with GAGE. Cochran’s clients at Durenberger/Foote and Public Policy Partners included the Investigative Project and the law firm Motley Rice.

Resources

Notes

  1. GAGE business consulting and government affairs Our Team (accessed 28 March 2008)
  2. Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF), 30 January 2007
  3. Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF), 30 January 2007
  4. Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF), 30 January 2007
  5. Andrew Cochran speech to the Hudson Institute, 'Combating Terrorist Financing and the 110th Congress' (PDF), 30 January 2007