I'm not quite sure what to do about pulling top officials in from the business areas that they are then called upon to regulate, and then after their tenure letting them go back to those business areas. It's an obvious "Caesar's wife must be beyond reproach" conflict of interest … but the alternative is to bring in people from outside the expertise area, or who are less talented, or who are not financially dependent on going back to that industry after their service is up.
Each of those options carries with it risks and costs. But any of them may be, at least in the short term, better than leaving the impression that the process is intrinsically corrupt.
(Note: this applies to administrations of both parties, as well as members of Congress.)
Holder Defends Record of Not Prosecuting Financial Fraud
After he stepped down as attorney general, he went back to his job at a big D.C. law firm whose clients include many of the big banks he chose not to prosecute.
