Facebook Hires Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart

Facebook has hired Joe Lockhart, the White House press secretary during President Clinton’s second term, to be its vice president of communications.

Lockhart, a former television journalist, was chief spokesman and senior adviser to Clinton from 1998 to 2000, and handled the press during his impeachment trial. The hiring of Lockhart comes as Facebook has been deepening its already considerable ties in Washington. The company has been facing increasing scrutiny from regulators over issues like privacy. And Facebook is expected to be thrust even more into the spotlight after it becomes a publicly traded company, which is likely to happen next year. Lockhart is a founding partner and managing director of The Glover Park Group, a public relations and political strategy firm. Lockhart is also a veteran of multiple political campaigns. He was an adviser to Sen John Kerry during his presidential bid in 2004. He also held senior roles in the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign, the 1988 Dukakis-Bentsen campaign, and the 1984 Mondale-Ferraro campaign. In 1980, he worked as a regional press coordinator for President Carter’s failed reelection bid.