After talks with former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs reportedly fell apart, Facebook has hired another candidate with a White House resume who comes from the previous Democratic president.
Joe Lockhart, Clinton's press secretary during his second term, will join Facebook as VP of global communications in July, according to All Things Digital.
“Joe’s arrival brings new skills and greater depth to our incredibly busy team. His experience building and running a press office at the White House gives him particular appreciation for the demands of a global 24-hour news cycle and the challenges of responding effectively to intense scrutiny," a Facebook person told All Things Digital in an email.
Facebook has ratcheted up its efforts to keep an eye on Washington, with a dedicated office in DC. As the site has drawn increasing amounts of scrutiny for its privacy practices, Facebook has also spent more on its lobbying efforts. It spent $230,000 in the first quarter of 2011 in lobbying, up over 460 percent from last year's $41,000 in the same period.
Lockhart will join many familiar faces once he gets to the Facebook offices. Facebook recently hired two former aides to President George W. Bush, Joel Kaplan and Myriah Jordan.
Facebook's roster is quickly filling up with employees accustomed to treading the Hill.
Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg served as chief of staff at the US Treasury before heading to Google, while VP of global public policy Marne Levine was once chief of staff at the National Economic Council, and director of public policy Catherine Martin served as an aide to Dick Cheney. Facebook has also picked up a handful of employees from lobbying organizations and newspapers, including the ACLU and the National Journal.
Lockhart is set to begin on July 15.