In response to yesterday’s revelations concerning her contract work for HHS, Maggie Gallagher responds in a column.
In reading her account, and the quots she gives from the contract she had with HHS, it appears that her situation is far differnt than that of Armstrong Williams and it may well be that the initial reaction (mine included) was to see it as a bigger pattern before the situation was adequately analyzed.
She notes:
The contract did not authorize a general consulting fee. Instead it authorized payment for actual work performed, to be submitted and approved via separate invoice.By my records, I was paid $21,500 from HHS in 2024.
Is it acceptable for someone who writes a newspaper column to do research and writing for the government?
I see no problem with someone who writes a column to do legitimate contract work in their are of expertise for the government or any other party, for that matter.
I was not paid to promote marriage. I was paid to produce particular research and writing products (articles, brochures, presentations), which I produced. My lifelong experience in marriage research, public education and advocacy is the reason HHS hired me.
However, as she notes, it likely would have been wise to disclose that she had done marriage-related work for HHS in columns about HHS marriage policy.
To me the most significant differences between this case and the Williams case are the facts thetr Gallagher focuses on marriage issues, while Williams is not an educational expert, and Gallagher was paid for work produced, not general promotion, as Williams was.
While I am unclear on her exact credentials, Gallagher has written three books on marriage, therefore it is at least reasonable to consider her an expert on the subject and hire her to do independent research on the topic.
The question os whether HHS needs to commission such work is, of course, a wholly different issue. One wonders if there isn’t suffcient scholarly work that can be obtained for free so as to make this sort of contracting unnecessary.
Gallagher Headlines
Headline writers, take heed: When I see articles entitled, “Gallagher Speaks” or Gallagher Criticizes ‘WP’ Article,” I expect something about a bald guy in a funny hat smashing watermelons with a hammer.
For that matter, no matter how long he…
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