Casey Michel: “There was a time, not long ago, when the fat cats running America’s shady foreign lobbying industry appeared on the defensive. Few encapsulated this trend better than Paul Manafort, the erstwhile campaign manager for Donald Trump and the architect of much of the modern foreign lobbying industry. After years of ushering warlords and right-wing autocrats into the halls of power in Washington, Manafort was sentenced in 2019 to a yearslong imprisonment, primarily for violating America’s existing foreign lobbying laws (among a range of other crimes). It was, for those in far-flung locales such as Ukraine and Nigeria and the Philippines—places decimated by Manafort’s pro-dictatorial work—a moment of celebration. Finally, there was proof that America could hold these kinds of corrupt consiglieres to account.”

“Alas, times change. In hindsight, that sentencing can be viewed as something of a high-water mark in the fight to corral these foreign lobbying networks. Not only did Trump pardon Manafort shortly after his conviction, driving a stake through the heart of America’s anti–foreign lobbying efforts, but just this week, The New York Times reported that Manafort is back and once again up to his old habits. Years have passed, and nothing, it appears, has changed.”

Harvard hired Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with ties to several of President-elect Donald Trump’s top advisers, last week as it prepares for additional political challenges under a more aggressive White House, the Harvard Crimson reports.

The Florida lobbying firm Rubin, Turnbull & Associates is opening an office in Washington, DC that will be led by Caroline Wiles, the daughter of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles, Politico reports.

Business Insider: “Longtime policy head Nick Clegg — formerly an influential British politician — is leaving the company. Clegg’s replacement is Joel Kaplan, who has spent even more time at Meta — and who has extensive connections with the Republican Party that will be in control of Washington later this month.”

Washington Post: “Over the years, Musk has repeatedly cut ties with outside firms that were brought on to improve relations with government officials and advocate for policies that would be beneficial to his companies…”

“Instead, Musk has sought to form personal relationships with regulators at the Federal Communications Commission, members of Congress — and now the president-elect. That has created a sudden and vexing challenge for those looking to influence the Trump administration through [him].”

“A Washington startup pitched as a service to integrate AI into lobbying is covertly run by a pair of well-known, far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons who are using pseudonyms in their new business,“ Politico reports.

“LobbyMatic was founded last year by Jacob Wohl, who in 2022 was convicted along with his longtime associate Jack Burkman of felony telecom fraud after running a robocall campaign in largely Black neighborhoods in several states telling people not to vote by mail.”

“Mere hours after the Supreme Court sharply curbed the power of federal agencies, conservatives and corporate lobbyists began plotting how to harness the favorable ruling in a redoubled quest to whittle down climate, finance, health, labor and technology regulations in Washington,” the Washington Post reports.

“Former Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS) is back in the U.S. Capitol, this time as a lobbyist,” the Kansas City Star reports.

“It is not uncommon for former members to become lobbyists… It’s more unusual when the former member served for only one-term after losing a primary while shrouded in allegations of voter fraud.”

“Watkins, a scandal magnet from the time he launched his campaign, entered a diversion agreement on three felony charges for voting in the wrong city council race in Topeka’s 2019 municipal election shortly after leaving office.”

“Kellyanne Conway, the former senior Trump aide, is being paid by the conservative Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok in Congress and has had at least 10 meetings with lawmakers in recent months about the app,” Politico reports.

“Republicans on Capitol Hill have hired far more former lobbyists to work in their offices than Democrats in the last year,” Insider reports.

“Data compiled by Legistorm — a website that closely tracks congressional staffers’ job movements and salaries — found that 61 of the 91 former lobbyists who took jobs in partisan offices on Capitol Hill in the last year were hired by Republicans. That amounts to a 64%-36% split.”