House Rep. Steve Pearce rode a wave of national resentment and money from oil and gas companies to regain an office he vacated in 2008.

Now he's back, and he brought with him a former Washington insider and lobbyist who sought to roll back environmental legislation well before it was the hot new thing to do.

Pearce (R-N.M.), endorsed by the anti-establishment Tea Party Express, hired Washington veteran Todd Willens to be his chief of staff. Willens is a former lobbyist for Vitello Consulting, which works on natural resource issues for businesses and consults for a Native American casino.

Read the rest here on the Under The Influence site from USC News21 and SoCal Connected.