The New York Times reports that Google is losing Andrew McLaughlin, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, to the Obama administration. He’ll be the administration’s deputy chief technology officer, serving below the recently appointed CTO, Aneesh Chopra.

McLaughlin has been with Google since January 2004. His earlier work included time as VP and Chief Policy Officer for ICANN.

Google’s ties to the Obama administration are no secret. Last fall, CEO Eric Schmidt endorsed and campaigned with Obama, then turned down the CTO job while serving as an advisor to the President-elect. In February, Google’s Katie Stanton joined the White House staff as Director of Citizen Participation. And Sonal Shah, who was in charge of global development at Google.org, took the reins of Obama’s Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in April.

The Times notes that Google’s competitors may be growing more concerned about these ties, especially in light of Google’s ongoing anti-trust issues being investigated by the Justice Department.

Related Topics: Google: Business Issues | Google: Employees

About The Author: Matt McGee is Search Engine Land's Executive News Editor, responsible for overseeing our daily news coverage. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. See more articles by Matt McGee