Checkmate goes global

Politico

2 days ago

With Daniel Lippman
FIRST IN PI: Checkmate Government Affairs is opening its first international office in Tokyo, a notable expansion for a lobbying firm that set up shop in D.C. just seven months ago. Former Japanese politician Takeo Kawamura, who served as a top adviser to a former Japanese prime minister and now works with top Japanese and Korean companies in the private sector, will be the chair of Checkmate Japan.
— Entrepreneur Nicholas Eoanou will serve as CEO, working with four other staffers in the Tokyo office with backgrounds across international business and politics.
— While an international expansion was always a possibility for the North Carolina-based firm — which has seen an explosion of domestic and foreign lobbying business thanks in part to its inroads with Trumpworld — it was Kawamura and his team who approached Checkmate about the idea first, according to Chris LaCivita Jr.
— The expansion to a major business hub such as Tokyo enhances Checkmate's international expertise, giving the K Street newcomer a foothold from which it can better help multinational clients at a time when global trade is facing historic levels of uncertainty. It also sends a message to the firm's naysayers throughout the influence industry who doubt its staying power.
— 'We're not a pop-up lobby shop that is taking advantage of our great relationships … we're more than that.' LaCivita argued. 'We're here for the long run, and we're making these kinds of business decisions to establish ourselves and offer more value for our clients. We are here to establish the new D.C.'
Happy Thursday and welcome to PI, where your host is relieved that D.C.'s swampier-than-usual summer weather wasn't all in her head. Send lobbying tips: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at [e-mail], and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.
CHIPPING AWAY: 'President Donald Trump's determination to barrel ahead with tariffs is forcing a growing number of Republican lawmakers to make an uncomfortable choice: defend the president's agenda or influential industries back home,' POLITICO's Ari Hawkins and Daniel Desrochers report.
— 'The gentle, behind-the-scenes pushback, primarily in the form of group letters, is a sign of the squeeze Trump's trade agenda is putting on some Republicans.' The effort is the result of nudging from trade associations representing a variety of critical export-reliant industries that 'have concluded that direct appeals to the administration carry less weight than channeling their lobbying through Congress.'
— 'It's just one example of the quiet but intense effort by business groups to rein in the Trump administration's most potentially damaging duties — particularly those Trump is considering applying on a national security basis' for 'everything from lumber to copper to semiconductors to drones.'
BACKING AWAY: DOJ is expected to withdraw charges against Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) for alleged FARA violations 'after an internal debate, despite President Trump's public expressions of support for the embattled Democrat from Texas,' three people with knowledge of the situation tell The New York Times' Glenn Thrush.
— Dropping the foreign agent charges against Cuellar, which he has denied, would be the first significant reversal in a foreign lobbying case under the new FARA enforcement regime laid out earlier this year by Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Though it's also notable that DOJ will move ahead with Cuellar's bribery case after dropping similar charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams this spring.)
— Bondi's February directive that FARA prosecutions 'be limited to instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors' set off a scramble between political appointees and career prosecutors at DOJ over the fate of Cuellar's case, with the latter initially rejecting a request for dismissal, per NYT.
— 'The department's political leadership accepted Mr. Galeotti's determination that the bribery charges were firmly supported by evidence, but reversed his decision to proceed with the prosecution under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, overruling John A. Eisenberg, the head of the national security division.'
FLYING IN: Advocates with the bank-backed Small Business Payments Alliance headed to the Hill today to keep up the drumbeat of opposition to swipe fee legislation from Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). It's the fifth time the alliance has held a fly-in on the issue in the past 18 months.
— Today's fly-in featured meetings with Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) and staff for Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.). It was aimed at touting a new report from the SBPA that highlights consumer support for electronic payment systems that utilize swipe fees.
SHIVVING SLATER: 'Internal friction with the Justice Department team that fights monopolies has led to private conversations in the Trump administration about whether to push out some staff in the antitrust division or to work to smooth out the issues, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation,' CBS' Jennifer Jacobs reports.
— The tension has centered around DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater and her staff, who 'still has support from some top officials in the administration' but has 'been a target of criticism from colleagues and business leaders, sources inside and outside the administration told CBS News.'
— 'There has been friction over the handling of investigations into T-Mobile, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others,' including complaints about 'a substantial amount of internal push-and-pull to land on decisions to reach deals that resolve merger issues.'
— 'Slater has also told companies not to try to engage with the administration via Trump-aligned lobbyists and consultants, several sources said. Frustration with that tack led business leaders to reach out to White House officials wondering why they were being told who they can hire, two sources said.'
— Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the report, writing in a post on X that 'aonymous efforts to divide this DOJ will not succeed' and that Slater has the full support of DOJ leaders. 'Our Department is stronger because of her leadership,' he added.
TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: 'Nearly 70 Trump administration officials and nominees held cryptocurrency or investments in blockchain or digital-asset companies at the time of their selection, with stakes ranging from small to more than $120 million,' The Washington Post's Arfa Momin, Clara Ence Morse and Cat Zakrzewski report.
— Trump himself 'has reported a personal stake of at least $51 million in the digital asset revolution he is championing — and profiting from — in the White House. Vice President JD Vance and seven Cabinet members or nominees reported at least another $2 million in cryptocurrency wallets or investments, according to the examination of financial disclosure forms from nearly 300 top-level appointees.'
— 'Some of the Trump officials and nominees who reported crypto holdings were leaders in the tech and crypto industry who supported Trump's 2024 campaign before scoring positions with the administration. Others head key regulatory and law enforcement agencies, including the regulator who oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.'
— The ubiquity of crypto holdings 'represents a milestone in the development of the industry, which has sought for years to be considered a legitimate investment on par with other assets,' and 'the appointment of multiple officials with crypto holdings comes at a time when the administration has taken a hands-off approach to regulation of digital currencies. The administration has also backed policies supported by the crypto industry, including legislation in Congress' that passed today.
SPOTTED last night at the Washington Government Relations Group's 14th annual Tin Cup Awards Dinner, per a tipster: Honorees Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Stephen Benjamin of The Benjamin Firm, Abby Phillip of CNN, John Mason of Altria, Colette Honorable of Exelon, Brad Knox of Aflac, Molly Njeru Ryan of Global Blood Therapeutics, Quincy Enoch of Invariant (posthumously) and Danielle McBeth of Florida A&M University; Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Dontai Smalls of UPS, Tiffani Williams of The Daschle Group, Jackie Kelly, Jr. of FedEx, Eriade Williams of News Corp., Charlyn Stanberry of the National Association of Broadcasters, Stephen Williams of Idemia, William Clyburn of Clyburn Consulting, Isaac Fordjour of Walgreen, Malcolm Sherrod of Dish Network, Tasia Jackson of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' office and Alex Washington of Entergy Services.
— And on Tuesday at a fundraiser for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hosted by TSG Advocates at the firm's newly opened Capitol Hill rowhouse, per a tipster: Mario Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, acting FTA Administrator Tariq Bokhari, Jeff Parker of ParkerVision, Michael Munz of Munz Family Holdings, Harrison Wadsworth of AECOM, Randall Popelka and Henry Wang of Herbalife, Alix Miller of the Florida Trucking Association, Ashlee Wright of WOT Educational Services, Orlando Mendoza of Arsenal Growth, Kayla Montgomery of the Rainey Freedom Project, Trey Goff of Honduras Próspera Inc., Joel Gibbons of AMC Health, Federal Maritime Commission Chair Louis Sola and Daniel Diaz-Balart, Kevin Hofmann, Chase Kroll, Beau Rothschild, Brian Darling, Kaitlyn Roberts, Nick Raineri, Chris Dudley, Katia St. Fleur and Adam Hollingsworth of TSG.
Jobs report
— Chris Chamberlain has joined Morrison Foerster as a partner in the firm's national security group. He most recently was a senior adviser in Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, focusing on the development and implementation of semiconductor export controls.
— Sara Schreiber is now senior vice president of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters. She most recently was chief of staff on the Harris campaign.
— Giovanni Rocco has launched a consulting firm, Rocco Communications. He previously led comms for WorldPride DC 2025 and is an Interior Department alum.
— Palmer Williams is now a partner at Holtzman Vogel. She previously was an associate professor at Lipscomb University's College of Leadership and Public Service.
— Len Costa is now chief marketing and comms officer at Conservation International. He previously was a partner at RooneyPartners.
— Dan Meyers is now a managing director at Teneo. He previously has worked as principal and founder of Perspective Strategies.
— Bennett Artman has joined the National Electrical Manufacturers Association as communications director. He most recently was a director on the D.C.-based public affairs team with Antenna Group.
— Melinda Garrett is now director of working families in the Bipartisan Policy Center's human capital program. She previously was senior adviser for the CHIPS for America strategy team in the Commerce Department.
— Andrew Lock has joined the public policy team at Project Kuiper, Amazon's constellation of low-earth orbit satellites. He most recently was principal at Monument Advocacy, and was a staffer in both the House and Senate.
— Riva Sciuto is now YouTube's lead for global civics partnerships. She spent a decade at Google prior, most recently as head of communications for its AI assistant Gemini.
— The Semiconductor Industry Association has added Jaclyn Kellon as a director on the global policy team. She was most recently a foreign affairs officer and technical expert on semiconductors for the State Department's Office of Critical Technology Protection.
New Joint Fundraisers
None.
New PACs
Carolina Courage (Super PAC)
Ohio Citizen Action Mobilization PAC (PAC)
Rainmaker Technology Corporation PAC (PAC)
New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Driscoll'S, Inc.
Apco Worldwide LLC: Canada Goose Inc.
Apco Worldwide LLC: Inter Ikea Systems B.V.
Aquia Group, LLC: Omeros Corporation
Blue Star Strategies LLC: Sparc
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Itafos Conda LLC
Burrell International Group LLC: C2 Strategies (O/B/O Ares Security Corporation)
Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Bolton & Menk
Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Commercial Beverage Concepts, LLC
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: American Short Line And Regional Railroad Association
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: National Wildlife Federation Action Fund
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Nyrstar Clarksville, Inc
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Pac-12 Conference
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Velo3D
Clark Street Associates: Tenstorrent, Inc.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Renalogic, Inc.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Specialty Care Management, LLC
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Canda Solutions
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Harvard Maintenance
Crowell & Moring LLP: Corteva Agriscience LLC
Da Vinci Group: Anewhealth, Inc.
Da Vinci Group: Brian Dror Cpa, Inc.
Da Vinci Group: Chenega Corporation, Inc. (Mios Strategic Business Unit)
Da Vinci Group: Clear Force, Inc.
Da Vinci Group: Dc Capital Partners, Inc.
Da Vinci Group: Oscar Management Corporation
Da Vinci Group: Procare, Inc.
Da Vinci Group: Recreation Access Alliance
Da Vinci Group: Stchealth, Inc.
Drake Ventures, LLC: Tunica-Biloxi Tribe Of Louisiana
Engel Burns: Annexon Biosciences
Grayrobinson Pa: Impact Public Affairs Obo Canadian Automobile Dealers Association
Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, Pc: American Victims Of Iranian Terror
Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, Pc: American Victims Of Syrian Terror
Hogan Lovells US LLP: Cliffwater LLC
Innovative Federal Strategies, LLC: Consolidated Safety Services, Inc.
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Gartner, Inc.
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Westwin Elements
Klein/Johnson Group: Chef Ann Foundation
K&L Gates, LLP: Triumph Financial, Inc.
Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: Board Of Trustees For The College Of The Holy Cross
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: Aadj
Linchpin Strategies, LLC: Charter School Lenders Coalition
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Acadia Pharmaceuticals
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Ardelyx, Inc.
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Biomarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Exelixis, Inc.
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Harmony Biosciences
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Incyte Corporation
Lmh Strategic Solutions: Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
Madeleine Smith: American Medical Manufacturers Association Obo Goldstein Policy Solutions LLC
Mayer Brown LLP: Galaxy Digital Holdings, Lp
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Oregon Department Of Human Services
Meridian Strategic Resources, LLC: Meridian Strategic Resources, LLC
Michael Best Strategies LLC: The Weather Company, LLC
Milne, Wiener & Shofe Global Strategies (Fka M & W Government Affairs, LLC): Disruptive Beverage, Inc. (Dba Nowadays)
Milne, Wiener & Shofe Global Strategies (Fka M & W Government Affairs, LLC): The Wine And Spirits Wholesalers Of America
Nichols Law LLP: Coalition For American Farm Exports (Informal Coalition)
Ridge Path Strategies: Mastercard International Incorporated
Rk Strategies, Inc.: Bullbag Corporation
Rk Strategies, Inc.: Clearmind Medicine, Inc
Sr Partners LLC: Kuakini Health System
Standard Chartered Bank (Fra Standard Chartered Bank New York Branch): Standard Chartered Bank (Fra Standard Chartered Bank New York Branch)
Stinson LLP: Urbix, Inc.
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Draper
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Mobivolt Defense LLC
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Teledyne Scientific & Imaging
Tanagra Enterprises LLC: Astranis
Tanagra Enterprises LLC: Northwood Space
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Actual Resources Solutions LLC
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Almond Alliance
The Bernhardt Group LLC: American Exploration And Production Council
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Arena Offshore
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo Bakelite US Holdco, Inc.
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo Barrick Gold Of North America
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo Denver Water
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo Twin Metals Minnesota LLC
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo USa Rare Earth
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Obo Central Arizona Water Conservation District
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Chenega Corporation
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Conocophillips
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Contango Ore, Inc.
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Delaware North Companies, Incorporated
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Devon Energy
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Fallbrook Public Utility District
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Fenner Gap Mutual Water Company
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Flowco, Inc.
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Garrison Diversion Conservancy District
The Bernhardt Group LLC: J.R. Simplot Company
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Madera County
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Naperville Heritage Society
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Natural Resource Results Obo Silencer Central
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Netafim USa
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Permian Resources Operating, LLC
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Rbw Group LLC Obo Medify Air
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Ridgecrest Regional Hospital
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Santos Limited
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Sierra Pacific Industries
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Solidus Resources, LLC
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Strata Production Company
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Talos Energy
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Valhalla Metals Inc.
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Westlands Water District
The Bernhardt Group LLC: Wetstone Holdings Ltd.
Thompson Coburn LLP: Studio Enterprise, LLC
Thorn Run Partners: American Society Of Consultant Pharmacists (Ascp)
Tsg Advocates Dc, LLC: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale And Dorr LLP: The Kraft Heinz Company
New Lobbying Terminations
23 Consulting, LLC: Tecnologias Relacionadas Con Energia Y Servicios Especializados Sa De Cv (Trese
535 Group, LLC: Hudsonalpha Institute Of Biotechnology
Adams And Reese, LLP: Concordance Academy Of Leadership
Adams And Reese, LLP: National Medal Of Honor Center For Leadership
Alcalde & Fay: Androscoggin County, Maine
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Employee-Owned S Corporations Of America
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Robert Bosch LLC
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: T1 Energy Inc. (Formerly Freyr Battery, Inc.)
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz: Fleet Space
Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.: Civic Roundtable, Inc.
Blue Star Strategies LLC: New Venture Fund
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Basic Medical Dba Intco USa
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Brand Engagement Network, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Cadence Education
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Christian Brothers Academy
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Spark Therapeutics, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Talos Energy
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Teach-Now, Inc. Dba Moreland University
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Twin Metals Minnesota LLC
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Yildirim International Investment Holding
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Pc: Earthwalk Orthotics
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Exelon Business Services Co.
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Northern Arizona University Foundation
Collective Strategies & Communications LLC (Formerly Collective Communications L: Firehawk Helicopters
Collective Strategies & Communications LLC (Formerly Collective Communications L: H.F. Vickers LLC
Commonwealth Care Alliance: Commonwealth Care Alliance
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Biolab, Inc.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Rain Scientific Inc.
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Crop Enhancement
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: F. H. Paschen
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Freedom Of The Press Foundation
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Orbit Fab
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Parkway Garage, Inc.
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Springfield Clinic LLP
Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLP: Certified Moving And Storage LLC
Davis & Harman LLP: Lpl Financial
Edge Creek Partners: Golden State Opportunity Foundation
Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: 5E Advanced Materials, Inc.
Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: Alpha Eagle Technology Corp.
Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: Merlin Tps Corp.
Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: National Association Of Credit Services Organizations
Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: Perry Johnson Inc.
Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): American Baseball Coaches Association
Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association
Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Generate Capital, Pbc
Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): National Field Hockey Coaches Association
Fulcrum Public Affairs LLC: Autoflex Fleet
Glassman Enterprises, LLC: Dci Group, L.L.C. On Behalf Of Scm Consulting Limited
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP: Phillips 66
Kinetic Solutions Group: Fairy Tales Hair Care , Inc
K&L Gates, LLP: Unlock Aid Coalition
Manatos & Manatos: Manatos & Manatos
Manatos & Manatos: Pp Prodaljavame Promianata ('Pp') - Bulgaria
Manatos & Manatos: Resolute Building Intelligence
Mr. Edmund Graber: Quad City Manufacturing Laboratory
Primacy Strategy Group: City Of St. Louis Park
Primacy Strategy Group: Open Arms Of Minnesota
Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh LLC (Fka Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh Pc): Alaska Groundfish Data Bank
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Binera, Inc.
Strategics Consulting, LLC: Caldwell County, Nc
Strogen Strategic Sustainability, LLC: Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation
The Ferguson Group: Vallejo, Ca - City Of
The Prenda Group LLC: Sovereign Systems Inc. (Blind Insight)
Thorn Run Partners: Forerunner Industries
Venable LLP: Okcoin USa Inc.
Washington Premier Group: Federally Employed Women