FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THAT THE AUTOTHROTTLE SWITCH HAD NOT BEEN PLACARDED AS INOP AS REQUIRED BY THE ACFT'S MEL DEFERRED MAINT PROCS.

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OUR ACFT ARRIVED AT THE GATE IN ORD. THE ARRIVING CREW HAD A MAINT WRITE-UP. THE ARRIVING CAPT CALLED FLT CTL TO DMI THE AUTOTHROTTLES; WHICH WOULD NOT STAY ENGAGED. THE ARRIVING CAPT THEN OBTAINED A DMI FROM MAINT CTL UNDER OUR MEL AND AN AMENDED RELEASE FROM FLT CTL FOR THE MEL ITEM. THE ARRIVING CAPT TOLD ME THE PAPERWORK HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. THIS WRITER THEN MADE THE AMENDMENT TO THE FLT RELEASE. IN THE MEANTIME; AN FAA INSPECTOR ARRIVED WANTING TO DO AN ENRTE INSPECTION. OUR FLT WAS OVERBOOKED AND WE WERE WT LIMITED. THIS WRITER EXPLAINED WE WOULD HAVE TO BUMP REVENUE TO ACCOMMODATE HIM. HE REPLIED WOULD/COULD NOT DENY HIM JUMP SEAT. OUR #1 FLT ATTENDANT FOUND A BROKEN SAFETY WIRE ON ONE OF OUR EMER FLASHLIGHTS. THIS WRITER WROTE THE MAINT DISCREPANCY UP AND CALLED FOR MAINT TO REPAIR THE BROKEN WIRE. OUR FLT CTL WANTED THIS WRITER TO BUMP THE FAA INSPECTOR. I WOULD NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT AND BOARDED THE INSPECTOR. BECAUSE WE WERE WT LIMITED; THIS WRITER WANTED TO CARRY MORE FUEL THAN THE MINIMUM ALLOWED. AFTER THE WIRE WAS REPAIRED WE DEPARTED LATE. ALSO; WITH MINIMUM IFR FUEL. AFTER WE WERE UNDERWAY; THE FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THE AUTOTHROTTLE SWITCH HAD NOT BEEN PLACARDED BY THE PREVIOUS CAPT. DURING ALL THE CONFUSION; THIS WRITER MISSED THE PLACARDING. THE FAA SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CREATE THIS KIND OF CONFUSION DURING A FLT.