He's made millions off Senate experience

Posted Jan 5, 2012 9:36 AM CST

(Newser) – A funny thing happened between the end of Rick Santorum’s Senate career and his now-ascendant presidential run: He became a millionaire. Santorum has oft touted his blue collar upbringing, and when he left the Hill in 2006 he was indeed one of its least wealthy denizens, with assets valued between $20,000 and $125,000. But in 2007 he bought a $2 million, 5,000-square-foot home, Bloomberg reports. Between January 2010 and August 2011 alone he made $1.3 million, financial disclosure forms show.

That money came primarily from consulting contracts with Consol Energy, a faith-based advocacy group called Clapham Group, and a Washington consulting firm called American Continental Group. He also made $395,414 in fees and stock options from Universal Health Services—a health care firm that Bloomberg notes was sued by the government for Medicaid fraud in 2010. Santorum became a UHS board member after leaving the Senate, and a fellow member says he “came with a lot of knowledge about the health industry." Santorum resigned in June to prepare for his presidential run.

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds up a $20 bill during a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H., Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Rick Santorum speaks during a town hall meeting on 'Faith, Family and Freedom' at Rockingham County Nursing Home January 4, 2012 in Brentwood, New Hampshire.   (Getty Images)

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expert and former Federal Elections Commission staffer

I can recall many times issues would come up and he’d say that ‘you have to be careful of this particular person with these views.' - Tony Pantaleoni, one of Santorum's

fellow board members at Universal

Health Services, referring to lawmakers

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getherdone

36 minutes ago

Oh well, he is just another corrupt Republican.  Never knew one that was honest.

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