(More on) "...Dennis Ross paid $106,000 for appearing on Fox News programs ..."

Via War&Piece, here

"TOP TIDBIT – USA Today's Kathy Kiely: 'President Obama's special envoy to the Persian Gulf region, Dennis Ross, was paid $106,000 last year for appearing on Fox News TV programs, according to his amended disclosure, filed thanks to the persistence of USA TODAY reporter Ken Dilanian. The amount brought Ross' 2008 annual income to $924,000. ... The bulk of his income came from paid speeches.'"

Ross, initially contended that he didn't have to reveal the Fox payments in a financial disclosure form that all top-level federal officials are required to file. The idea is to prevent conflicts of interest by putting officials' sources of income out in public. Ross said the payments were subject to a confidentiality agreement and he didn't have to disclose them.

That seemed to Ken to blow a pretty big hole in the federal regulations, so he protested. Today, the State Department changed its mind. On second thought, "we determined it could be released," said Violanda Betet of the Office of the Legal Adviser. The confidentiality provision in Ross' contract with Fox did not apply in cases where the law required disclosure, she said.