U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will ban all appointees to his administration from paid lobbying for five years after leaving the White House, his transition office announced Wednesday night.
"It goes back to Mr. Trump's goal of making sure people aren't using government to enrich themselves," Trump aide Sean Spicer, also Republican National Committee chief strategist, told media in a conference call, the first by the Trump team since Election Day on Nov. 8.
Before starting work, all appointees will be required to sign a document that signifies they either are not a registered lobbyist or have terminated any lobbying ties, as well as a pledge not to go back within five years, according to local media reports.
During the campaign, Trump vowed to "drain the swamp" of Washington politics packed with lobbyists and "special interests."
This is the first step toward that goal, said Spicer.
Under the Obama administration, anyone who had been a registered lobbyist in the prior two years is prohibited from joining, unless they get a waiver.
Former Obama administration officials have also been banned from lobbying the White House.
Spicer also said that Trump's representatives will head to the State Department, Justice Department, Defense Department and National Security Council as early as on Thursday, while economic and domestic agency teams will be announced next week.
