"The White House has granted a special ethics waiver to allow President Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser [to] conduct the review of the intelligence and screening breakdown that preceded the failed Christmas Day bombing of an American passenger jet over Detroit," the New York Times reports.

John Brennan, "a former longtime C.I.A. officer needed the ethics waiver because for more than three years prior to his current post he was chief executive officer of The Analysis Corp., or T.A.C., an intelligence firm that provides services to the government."

A report from the Congressional Research Service concluded that the "creation of restrictions on federally registered lobbyists’ access to executive branch departments and agencies has already changed the relationship between lobbyists and covered executive branch officials."

White House ethics adviser Norm Eisen announced today on WhiteHouse.gov a new policy barring lobbyists from sitting on agency advisory boards. He wrote:

"The White House has informed executive agencies and departments that it is our aspiration that federally-registered lobbyists not be appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions. These appointees to boards and commissions, which are made by agencies and not the president, advise the federal government on a variety of policy areas."

The Washington Post later noted that "hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected" from the boards by the new rules.

The Treasury Department today announced new rules intended to limit lobbyists' influence over money spent through the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

The Obama administration sought and received a waiver to its ethics rules for William Lynn, Obama's choice for the No. 2 spot in the Defense Department and a former defense lobbyist. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said there should be "reasonable exceptions" for "uniquely qualified individuals." The same exception was also made for Obama's proposed deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, William Corr.

The page on WhiteHouse.gov detailing Obama's ethics pledges, including this one, was replaced with a message telling readers to "please check back soon" for updates related to the president's executive order placing limits on lobbyist activity.

On his first full day in office, Obama signed an executive order imposing a two-year waiting period for lobbyists entering the administration and banning former executive branch employees from lobbying the White House during the duration of Obama's tenure. Still, 14 of 112 staffers announced so far have worked as lobbyists since 2005.

From Change.gov: "The Obama-Biden Transition project only accepts contributions from individuals' personal funds -- we refuse all donations from corporations, labor unions and PACs. Individuals may not donate more than $5,000. We also refuse all contributions from registered federal lobbyists and registered foreign agents."