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.”
How Do You Lobby a Man Like Elon Musk?
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].”
Lobbyists With Ties to Trump In Demand
New York Times: “In corporate boardrooms and foreign capitals, there was a scramble on Wednesday to sign lobbyists who could help navigate an incoming administration viewed with uncertainty and concern. Even after his first presidential term ended four years ago, Mr. Trump remained something of an enigma to the deep-pocketed interests whose fates depend on staying in Washington’s good graces, or at least out of its cross hairs.”
Trump’s Swampy Campaign
Donald Trump’s campaign is packed with lobbyists, despite his earlier focus on “draining the swamp,” the Washington Post reports.
Lobbyists Flout Congressional Ethics Rules
“In 2007, after one of the biggest scandals in K Street history, Congress cracked down on lobbyists’ ability to wine and dine lawmakers and aides with a host of reforms — including limits on extravagant, all-expenses-paid trips,” Politico reports.
“In the nearly two decades since, the influence industry has blown a hole through those rules… U.S. representatives and their staff have taken at least 17,000 trips since 2012 that were paid for by private parties, many of them nonprofits with deep ties to lobbyists and special interests.”
Fraudsters Launch Lobbying Firm Using Fake Names
“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.”
Trumpworld Trashes Kellyanne Conway
“Donald Trump’s inner circle is seizing on the news that Kellyanne Conway has registered as a foreign agent for a Ukrainian oligarch to argue she has no loyalty to the MAGA movement,” NOTUS reports.
Said a source close to the Trump campaign: “Nobody has any respect for her.”
“An informal adviser to Trump who also spoke to NOTUS argued Conway’s decision would ruin her standing with the former president.”
Lobbyists Scramble to Weaken Regulations
“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.
GOP Lawmaker Back as Lobbyist Despite Fraud Charges
“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 Lobbying for TikTok
“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.
Trump Campaign Warns GOP Lobbyists
“Donald Trump’s campaign wants Republican lobbyists in D.C. to know: If they don’t vote in this Sunday’s primary, they won’t get access should the former president end up back in the White House,” Politico reports.
Said one Trump campaign official: “If you don’t bother voting, don’t bother calling.”
The Big Winners of a Dysfunctional Congress
Bloomberg: “Any Washington lobbyist worth their salt knows defeat or delay of new legislation is often the most lucrative outcome for corporate clients.”
“By that measure, 2023 was a success, as Congress passed few new laws amid months-long battles over raising the US debt limit and avoiding a government shutdown. All that inaction translated into wins for Wall Street banks, tech giants, and pharmaceutical companies, whose profits were spared the pinch of additional regulation.”
GOP Lawmakers Hire More Lobbyists Than Democrats
“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.”
DeSantis Appointees Shake Down Lobbyists
NBC News: “Officials who work for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration — not his campaign — have been sending text messages to Florida lobbyists soliciting political contributions for DeSantis’ presidential bid, a breach of traditional norms that has raised ethical and legal questions and left many here in the state capital shocked.”
Said one Florida lobbyist: “The bottom line is that the administration appears to be keeping tabs on who is giving, and are doing it using state staff. … You are in a prisoner’s dilemma. They are going to remain in power. We all understand that.”
Disney Tells Lobbyists to Step Up Fight Against DeSantis
“Disney is preparing to take its fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his GOP allies in the state legislature to the next level,” CNBC reports.
“With just weeks until Florida’s legislative session ends, Disney is pushing lobbyists to step up their efforts to influence the Republican-controlled state legislature and to target land use related bills that could hurt the company, among other measures, said the people, who declined to be named in order to speak freely about the issues.”
Barney Frank Pushed to Ease Financial Regulations
“Former Rep. Barney Frank co-sponsored the law that tightened banking regulations after the financial crisis, but since leaving office he has been working the other side of the street—as a board member of Signature Bank, which regulators shut down Sunday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The 2010 Dodd-Frank legislation set tougher regulatory safeguards on banks with more than $50 billion in assets. After leaving office and joining Signature’s board, Mr. Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, publicly advocated for easing those new standards for smaller banks.”
Norfolk Southern Plied Ohio Politicians with Cash
“Almost exactly a month before a Norfolk Southern train derailed and spewed hazardous materials in eastern Ohio, the company gave the maximum $10,000 to help bankroll Gov. Mike DeWine’s inaugural festivities,” WSYX reports.
“An examination of state records shows this contribution, which is part of $29,000 the Virginia-based corporation has contributed to DeWine’s political funds since he first ran for governor in 2018, is merely one piece of an extensive, ongoing effort to influence statewide officials and Ohio lawmakers.”
NBC News: EPA orders Norfolk Southern to clean up Ohio train derailment site and pay all costs.
The Powerful Lobbyist Behind Kevin McCarthy
New York Times: “Rarely has a lobbyist enjoyed the access to a House speaker that Jeff Miller has with Mr. McCarthy, a California Republican. As Mr. McCarthy has gained power, Mr. Miller’s prominent place in his orbit has drawn increased scrutiny from watchdog groups that track political influence as well as from conservatives who see him as an unaccountable power behind the throne whose presence is starkly at odds with their increasingly populist, anti-corporate message.”
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