Hegseth attorney's dual roles trip conflict-of-interest alarms (May 3, 2025)
www.politico.com

... Tim Parlatore is a personal attorney and top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. At the same time, he's suing the Navy and defending private clients against the U.S. government.

Parlatore, who represented Donald Trump in a criminal case two years ago and rejoined the Navy Reserve in March to aid Hegseth, was recently tapped to coordinate the leak investigation that led to chaos at the Pentagon. The probe was publicly tied to the firings of top advisers and preceded further revelations that Hegseth was careless with classified information. Parlatore was also reportedly in the Signal group with Hegseth's wife and brother in which the Defense secretary shared details of a strike on Yemen.

But despite Parlatore's deep involvement at the Pentagon, he is pursuing litigation against the Navy. A review of federal court records shows Parlatore listed as an attorney on 11 cases " though a few appear to be dormant and not all involve the U.S. government. Often his clients are retired military personnel.

The business of Washington is built on government officials leaving their jobs to trade access for private clients and using their connections to achieve client goals. While Parlatore insists his arrangement is above board, it's highly unusual for a sitting top adviser for a Cabinet secretary to be working in the government while at the same time representing clients suing the government, or working for clients as they fight off the feds. ...