Latest news with #LobbyingDisclosureAct
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US lobbying firms see early revenue boost in Trump's second term
April 24 (Reuters) - (Billable Hours is Reuters' weekly report on lawyers and money. Please send tips or suggestions to opens new tab) Top firms in Washington, D.C., are reporting an influx of lobbying dollars as companies, industry groups and others navigate President Donald Trump's second term in office and a Republican-controlled Congress. U.S. law firm Akin said the first quarter of 2025 was its strongest ever for lobbying revenue. It brought in $16.4 million, an 18.75% increase from the first quarter of 2024. Trump's aggressive moves on tariffs and trade have made it critical for companies to have a voice in Washington, said Brian Pomper, the co-leader of Akin's lobbying and public policy practice. "For the first time, trade really is a C-suite issue," Pomper said. He said he has never been busier in his 20-year lobbying career. Lobbyists in Washington are required to report revenue tied to the federal government each quarter under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Pomper said Trump's policies on trade, tax and healthcare issues are also generating large amounts of non-lobbying work for the law firm that is not subject to the disclosure law. Ballard Partners also had a big first quarter. The lobbying firm pulled in $14 million, a 225% increase from the first quarter of 2024, according to Politico Influence. Partners at Ballard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ballard's connections to the Trump administration include Pam Bondi, who worked at the Tallahassee-founded firm before she was tapped to serve as U.S. attorney general. Ballard's president has been a top Florida fundraiser for Republican candidates, including Trump in 2016. Two major law firms — Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher — each paid Ballard Partners $100,000 during the first quarter to lobby on matters related to employment practices, disclosures show. Kirkland and Simpson Thacher were among nine prominent firms that cut deals with the White House to avoid getting hit with an executive order seeking to curtail business operations. Ballard was also hired in January to represent the Harvard University governing body known as the Harvard Corporation. Trump since his inauguration has cracked down on top U.S. universities, saying they mishandled last year's pro-Palestinian protests and allowed antisemitism to fester on campuses. Harvard sued this week to block the White House from freezing billions of dollars in federal funding. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, another law firm with a leading lobbying practice, said its first-quarter work was driven partly by higher education clients. The firm reported earning $16.8 million in the first quarter of 2025, a 3.5% increase from the same quarter last year. The firm is representing the University of Colorado and DePaul University, according to disclosure filings. "Our team understands the complexities and risks facing colleges and universities right now with the new administration's executive orders," Nadeam Elshami, the co-chair of Brownstein's government relations department, said in a statement. Two other firms — BGR Group and Cornerstone Government Affairs — also reported year-over-year increases for the quarter. BGR Group said it brought in $14.6 million in revenue, while Cornerstone reported $13.6 million. Holland & Knight, another U.S. law firm with a lobbying practice, reported $13 million in lobbying revenue for the first quarter of 2025, a 5.4% increase from the first quarter of 2024. Companies, trade groups and other entities have continuously spent more money on lobbying since 2016, according to the non-profit group OpenSecrets, which compiles lobbying records. In 2024, companies spent more than $4.43 billion to lobby Congress and federal agencies. -- The National Abortion Federation is entitled to recover legal fees and costs from the conservative Center for Medical Progress and other defendants in a long-running lawsuit in federal court in California, an appeals court ruled, opens new tab on Wednesday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge's orders awarding millions of dollars in fees to the abortion rights advocate in its battle over an activist's secretly recorded videos. The court panel said the fact that lawyers for the National Abortion Federation were working pro bono did not change the legal analysis for awarding fees. The federation and Center for Medical Progress did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Politico
13-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Lobbyists lay out an ethics roadmap for using AI
Presented by Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis With Daniel Lippman HOW TO LOBBY WITH AI: The National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics has unveiled its first set of recommendations for the use of artificial intelligence in lobbying campaigns. The guidelines urge lobbyists to disclose when they use AI and to be transparent with stakeholders about how AI is being used, and they recommend that lobbyists 'implement measures to identify and mitigate biases in AI systems.' — Lobbyists should use the technology to 'enhance civic engagement' and participation in the democratic process, the recommendations say, while also 'avoiding the dissemination of misleading or false information' with the help of AI. — NILE also wants lobbyists to adopt several data privacy best practices as they incorporate AI into advocacy work, including obtaining informed consent for data collection that will be used in advocacy involving the use of AI, being transparent about data ownership and making sure data is secure. — NILE first set to work last year to craft the new guidelines, which board Chair Paul Miller said draw on 'extensive input from professionals across the industry.' But the organization stressed the ethics guardrails will continue to evolve along with advancements in AI and how it's used to sway public opinion and shape policy. — In addition to the recommendations laid out today, NILE said it's working on several other related projects, including developing an AI ethics training program for members, standing up an internal watchdog committee and compliance mechanisms and crafting a standardized AI disclosure framework for the industry to adopt. — The group is also planning to push for changes to the nation's lobbying laws, calling for a 'comprehensive rewrite' of the Lobbying Disclosure Act to modernize and update the statute to account for technological advances in the influence industry. Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Send K Street tips and gossip: coprysko@ And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. FIRST IN PI — MORE DISCONTENT AT BROOKINGS: Employees of the Brookings Institution have sent another anonymous letter to the think tank's trustees complaining about the management of the organization by its President Cecilia Rouse, Daniel reports. — 'After one year of her tenure, Brookings does not have a clear direction nor guidance from Dr. Rouse on where we are headed as an organization nor how to navigate the current political climate,' the letter asserts. The letter, sent last week, also argues that Rouse, the former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Biden White House, hasn't given any guidance on how Brookings is handling federal freezes on grants. — It requests that the board send out an independent anonymous survey to ask Brookings staffers to assess Rouse's performance and a town hall meeting with co-chairs of the board for employees to express their concerns. — It also says that there's been a brain drain of employees from the think tank last year and alleges that 25 percent of Brookings' full-time employees have left the think tank since Rouse started. — The letter goes on to say that Brookings scholars and researchers have been told to avoid topics like DEI that are being criticized by the Trump administration and that the message was 'perceived as a form of censorship and a violation of scholar independence.' The new letter follows an earlier letter protesting the return-to-office policy that was sent last November. — The letter, which is signed by 'The Brookings community,' also says that there has been no search for a replacement for its chief development officer and that Rouse has relied on a consulting firm to handle fundraising instead. A recent internal presentation about fundraising shows that Brookings only 'partially met' a $2 million annual fundraising goal for the 'President's Special Initiative Funds.' — Brookings is also considering moving itself from a 501(c)(3) to a 501(h), which would allow the think tank to do lobbying to have more impact, according to internal slides of a recent executive leadership meeting. But an employee of Brookings said the potential move is making some scholars nervous because it could weaken the nonpartisan nature of Brookings. — Rouse also recently told staff that she is going to centralize the development staffers for each research program, which currently have separate development staffers, into reporting into the central development department, which the employee said is leading to worry about layoffs. (Three staffers in the communications department were laid off Wednesday, according to four people familiar with the matter, with one of them saying the organization cited 'business reasons' for the move.) — Rouse and a spokesperson for Brookings didn't respond to requests for comment, but a person close to Brookings said in an email that the think tank and its leadership 'are focused and steady in a time of extraordinary change.' — 'The letter is filled with inaccuracies with respect to transparency, the role of federal grants, moving away from nonpartisanship, etc., but the point is taken; these are challenging times for universities, think tanks and NGOs,' they added. 'Change is hard, and strong new leadership can be tough. Understood.' WHITHER THE CHAMBER?: 'The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was for decades an indomitable force in Washington with close ties to the Republican Party. But that influence has eroded in recent years alongside its relationship with traditional GOP allies, putting the lobbying giant in a tough spot to fight tariffs and push tax priorities at the start of a second Trump administration,' NOTUS' Taylor Giorno writes. — 'As the president has launched an aggressive tariff strategy at the start of his second term, the Chamber's objections don't appear to be going far. And while the 2017 tax cuts were a huge victory for the business community and its advocates, the Chamber is entering lobbying efforts this year on the heels of a House investigation into donations to the Chamber's foundation from left-leaning organizations — led by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith.' — While a source told NOTUS that 'the Chamber isn't in the conversation' about the tax bill, the group's top lobbyist pushed back on the suggestion. 'Whoever said that might not be in the same rooms that we're in,' said Neil Bradley, who on Wednesday hosted the GOP leader of the Senate Finance Committee as well as a member of the Ways and Means Committee at a Chamber-organized tax summit. — 'The waning influence of the Chamber has been a source of discussion on K Street for some time, but often in hushed tones on background or off the record. The reticence to outright write off the Chamber indicates its influence has perhaps not waned beyond repair, but four more years of President Donald Trump and a Republican Party more beholden to MAGA than traditional conservative principles will undoubtedly be a challenge unlike any other in the institution's 113-year history.' MERCURY ADDS ANOTHER TRUMP HAND: Danielle Alvarez is rejoining Mercury Public Affairs after spending the past four years working in Republican politics. Alvarez was most recently a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign and also worked for his 2020 reelect as a spokesperson for the Southern Gulf region. During the 2022 cycle, Alvarez served as communications director for the RNC. She spent half a decade with Mercury before that. FAMILY MATTERS: Representatives of the Trump family 'have held talks to take a financial stake in the U.S. arm of crypto exchange Binance,' The Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Ballhaus, Patricia Kowsmann, Angus Berwick, Josh Dawsey and Caitlin Ostroff report, 'a move that would put Trump in business with the firm that pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating anti-money-laundering requirements' and whose founder has been pushing for a presidential pardon for related charges. — 'Trump has increasingly blurred the boundaries between the presidency and his business ventures. … But pursuing a business deal involving a felon seeking a pardon from his administration would be an unprecedented overlap of his business and the government. A stake in would also be a striking expansion of the family's cryptocurrency endeavors as Trump signs a series of executive orders that benefit the industry.' THE REVOLVING DOOR OF THE SPEAKER'S LOBBY: 'House Speaker Mike Johnson is naming Boeing official Curtis Beaulieu his top tax adviser, sources familiar with the decision say, filling a big hole on his staff as a sprawling fight in Congress over the tax code begins to heat up,' per POLITICO's Brian Faler. — 'Beaulieu, a senior director at Boeing, will replace Derek Theurer, who left for the Treasury Department — part of a recent wave of Republican tax aides to leave the Hill, even as lawmakers begin to zero in on what to do about some 40 temporary tax provisions slated to expire at the end of this year.' — Beaulieu has been on K Street for more than a decade, registering to lobby for dozens of clients at Bracewell before moving over to Boeing, 'but has previously worked on the Hill. He was tax counsel at the Senate Finance Committee a decade ago and, before that, worked for several Republican lawmakers, including former Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.), whose district is now represented by Johnson.' SPOTTED on Wednesday at the White House's St. Patrick's Day reception, per a tipster: Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn, Richard Cushnie of the Northern Ireland Bureau, Tina McKenzie of the UK Federation of Small Businesses, Northern Ireland Health Minister Michael Nesbitt, Northern Ireland Minister of Communities Gordon Lyons, U.S. Consul General to Northern Ireland James Applegate, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland nominee Edward Walsh, VA Secretary Doug Collins, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.), Matt and Mercedes Schlapp, Don McGahn of Jones Day, Edward Kelly of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Dan Murphy of BGR Group, Jack Cline of Northeastern University, John Feehery of EFB Advocacy, Ian Greer of Queen's University Belfast and Orla Feely of University College Dublin. — And at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a 40th anniversary party for Qualcomm, per a tipster: Cristiano Amon, Nate Tibbetts, Izzy Santa and Katie Patala of Qualcomm, Alex Rogers of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, Andrei Iancu of Sullivan & Cromwell, John Bozzella of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Mike Flynn of the Information Technology Industry Council, Laura Chace of ITS America, Jake Colvin of the National Foreign Trade Council, John Neuffer of the Semiconductor Industry Association, Karen Kerrigan of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Patrick Halley of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, Matthew Eggers of the Chamber, Cole Bornefeld of Sen. Bill Hagerty's (R-Tenn.) office, Mitchell Shea of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise's office, Sloan Shelbourne and Charles Cogar of Sen. Tim Scott's (R-S.C.) office, JC Lintzenich of Sen. Thom Tillis' (R-N.C.) office. Jobs report — Former FCC Chair Ajit Pai will be the new president and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. He was most recently a partner at Searchlight Capital Partners, a global private investment firm. — Terry Moynihan is now a senior vice president at BerlinRosen, where he'll lead a new research practice. He previously was a special assistant to the president and director of research in the Biden White House and is a Biden campaign and Democratic Governors Association alum. — Amanda Tuminelli will be the next executive director of the DeFi Education Fund, with current leader Miller Whitehouse-Levine departing the group for a new role. Tuminelli is currently the chief legal officer, a title she will retain. — Sustainability nonprofit Ceres joined the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations. — Lynese Wallace has been named director of Intersections of Our Lives. She most recently was chief of staff to former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). — James Brandell is joining John Hancock as vice president of global government policy. He previously led the federal government policy practice at Dykema and is a Dave Camp alum. — Alex Cisneros is now a director at Invariant. He previously was a legislative director for Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and is an Anthony Gonzalez and Carlos Curbelo alum. — Rosalyn Hollingsworth has joined the office of USTR as the deputy director of scheduling. She was previously a government affairs associate at Mehlman Consulting and is a Michelle Steel and James Sensenbrenner alum. — Aviva Aron-Dine will join the Brookings economic studies program as a senior fellow and director of the Hamilton Project. She most recently was acting assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department. — Nicole Lindler is now director of government advocacy at the National Association of Realtors. She previously was principal deputy executive secretary at the Treasury Department. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs Greater ROC Federal Economic Alliance (PAC) Guardian Pharmacy Services Inc. Political Action Committee (Guardian PAC) (PAC) Peanut Butter and Jelly Party (Super PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Stanford University Alignment Government Strategies: Integris International, Inc. Dba Bri-Steel Manufacturing Audax Strategies: Melstner Strategies On Behalf Of The Project For Election Infrastructure Ballard Partners: Daimler Truck North America LLC Ballard Partners: Mitsubishi Corporation Ballard Partners: Vanderbilt University Ballard Partners: Vantive, Inc. Batie & Associates, LLC: Dignitymoves Batie & Associates, LLC: Project On Predatory Student Lending Capitol 6 Advisors: Resilient Earth Capitol Tax Partners, LLP: Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. Carlough Solutions, LLC: Mcg Workforce Solutions Carpi & Clay, Inc: Cucamonga Valley Water District Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Brown University Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Ultra Electronics Tatical Systems, Inc. Energy Freedom Fund: Energy Freedom Fund Flex Association: Flex Association Greenberg Traurig, LLP: American Society Interventional Pain Physicians Jenkins Hill Consulting, LLC: Community Bankhares, Inc. Meeks, Butera & Israel Pllc: Max Space, Inc. North South Government Strategies, Fka Jdm Public Strategies, LLC: Defi Eudcation Fund Penn Hill Group: National Council Of Higher Education Resources (Ncher) S-3 Group: Katahdin Impact Inc. Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Wayfair Sc Partners LLC: Balanced Rock Power Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC: American Academy Of Home Care Medicine Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC: United Network For Organ Sharing Tauzin Strategic Networks: Razormetrics Thorn Run Partners: Delta Dental Plans Association Van Scoyoc Associates: American Heart Association Veritas Health Policy, LLC: 340B Health Veritas Health Policy, LLC: National Funeral Directors Association New Lobbying Terminations Audax Strategies: American Multi-Cinema, Inc. Audax Strategies: Meltsner Strategies On Behalf Of Institute For Responsive Government Action,Inc Krl International LLC: Gerald Metals LLC Mcintyre & Lemon, Pllc: Lion Cave Oculus Strategies, LLC: Capitol 6 Advisors On Behalf Of Skydweller Aero Inc. Squire Patton Boggs: Abb Asea Brown Boveri Ltd Thorn Run Partners: Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. Warwick Group Consultants, LLC: City Of North Bend
Politico
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Congress joins the chorus on FARA's future
Presented by With Daniel Lippman, Nick Taylor-Vaisey FARA FRIDAY: Attorney General Pam Bondi moved quickly this week to put her stamp on DOJ's approach to federal foreign influence laws, ordering the rollback of an enforcement crackdown that began during the first Trump administration, as PI explored on Thursday. — But DOJ isn't the only body in Washington that's begun to look more closely at FARA over the past decade or so, and one of FARA's top cheerleaders in Congress is vowing that Bondi's memo won't be the last word on this. — 'MUST B VERY AGGRESSIVE on foreign agent registration enforcement,' Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote in a thread on X last night, praising Bondi for directing DOJ to focus on civil enforcement of FARA as well as for her order shuttering the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which he has accused of targeting him for political reasons during the Biden administration. — Grassley went on to pledge that he would conduct oversight of Bondi's memo and 'continue my work to tighten foreign agent registration thru law.' Grassley has long been outspoken about the need for changes to FARA, and in written questions for Bondi following her confirmation hearing last month he lamented 'lax and selective enforcement' of FARA. — Grassley also pressed Bondi to commit to 'ensuring' that the FARA Unit 'has the necessary resources and tools to equally and consistently administer and enforce' the statute, but she skirted another question from Grassley about which countries' 'malign foreign actors' she would direct the FARA Unit to pay especially close attention to as AG. — Some of Grassley's past legislative pushes appear to be at odds with Bondi's directive to focus criminal enforcement on alleged conduct 'similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors,' rather than the lobbying and public affairs campaigns to which the statute has sought to bring transparency. The senator 'has consistently sought greater enforcement and fewer exceptions' to FARA, noted Tom Spulak, who advises clients on complying with FARA at King & Spalding. — For example: Grassley has sought to root out 'abuses' of FARA's exemption for Lobbying Disclosure Act registrants along with eliminating that exemption entirely for agents of certain countries. He also introduced bills that would equip the FARA Unit with additional investigative authorities and close the gaping loophole that blocks DOJ from forcing someone to register as a foreign agent retroactively — measures DOJ had called for as well. — So even if Main Justice is stepping back on FARA, Spulak warned that it'd be wise for lobbyists to remain concerned about what Congress could do. 'All it would take is one scandal to bring attention to FARA and calls for renewed enforcement,' he said, predicting that if Grassley 'pushed hard on legislation, he would be joined unanimously by Democrats.' — Grassley isn't the only lawmaker planning to remain engaged on foreign influence matters. 'FARA reform continues to be a priority for members of this committee, and I anticipate our work to modernize this important law will continue,' Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) told PI in a statement, adding that 'our foreign agent laws must be easier to understand, applied fairly and consistently, and address growing efforts by China, Russia, and other adversaries to exploit existing loopholes to undermine our national security.' — And a spokesperson for the House Select China Committee, which has been active on FARA issues as well, told PI that 'proper enforcement of FARA is critical to addressing China's influence operations' and said the panel 'looks forward to working closely with the Administration to uphold and enforce FARA to ensure transparency, protecting our country from the CCP threat.' TGIF and welcome to PI. Send influence tips and gossip for me to run down: coprysko@ And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. TRUMP'S LATEST BUREAUCRATIC TARGET: President Donald Trump 'moved this week to fire the chair of the Federal Election Commission, Democrat Ellen Weintraub, the latest in a line of ousters of Democratic-aligned regulators across the government,' per our Andrew Howard. — 'Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of @FEC. There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn't it,' Weintraub wrote on X last night. 'I've been lucky to serve the American people & stir up some good trouble along the way. That's not changing anytime soon.' — 'The FEC's website lists Weintraub's seat as vacant as of Friday morning. But in an interview Friday, she contended her removal was illegal. 'I am not aware of an FEC commissioner ever having been fired,' Weintraub said. 'There's nothing in the Federal Election Campaign Act that suggests that that is an option.'' — Weintraub, whose term wrapped up in 2007, 'is one of a group of commissioners that has served after their terms expired, although members are allowed to remain until a replacement is confirmed by the Senate,' a step Trump has yet to take. Weintraub said she had not heard from the White House and warned that her ouster would bring the campaign finance watchdog to within one seat of losing its quorum. FARA FRIDAY, PART II: Because there hasn't been enough FARA news this week: Checkmate Government Relations, the North Carolina lobbying firm run by a friend of the Trump family that has a newly opened D.C. office, has signed its first foreign lobbying client. — The firm registered this week to represent Canada's Council of the Federation — essentially the Canadian counterpart of the National Governors Association — according to DOJ filings. Filings show that Ches McDowell, Checkmate's managing partner, is helping Canada's premiers with strategic consulting and outreach to U.S. officials ahead of a visit to Washington next week by the Federation — a contract worth $85,000 per month. McDowell is a hunting buddy of Donald Trump Jr. and accompanied Trump Jr. on a falconry trip with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last fall, according to social media posts. — The hire — and next week's lobbying trip — come amid a cease-fire in the potential North American trade war that began when Trump threatened to slap a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy exports and a 25 percent tariff on all other exports from our northern neighbor without commitments on border security. — Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brokered a truce before the levies went into effect — but not before threats of retaliation by Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said he would also bar American companies from contracting with the province and rip up an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink. Ford will be part of next week's trade mission, which will include meetings with members of the administration, Congress and business leaders. — Chris LaCivita Jr., the son of Trump's co-campaign manager and a spokesperson for Checkmate, declined to comment on its work for the Federation beyond the FARA filings and didn't rule out taking on more foreign clients in the future. — 'Given the vital importance of North Carolina on national elections and the firm's existing relationships with members of the Trump administration, as well as prior D.C. work experience, it only makes sense Checkmate has expanded its federal portfolio and officially entered the K-Street game,' he said. FIRST IN PI — PURPLE HITS A POTHOLE: Purple Strategies, the brand reputation and public affairs firm, on Wednesday laid off 18 of its employees on Wednesday, or about 10 percent of the company, three people familiar with the matter told Daniel. — Kristen Morgante, a firm managing partner and COO, and Steve McMahon, Purple's co-founder and CEO, announced the layoffs to staff on an all-employee call, saying it was 'terrible news' but happened because of the broader business climate. The jobs eliminated primarily included people working in content, creative, media planning and buying. — Some employees were surprised at how the layoffs affected a broad range of levels of the firm instead of just junior people, said one of the people. It's 'a close-knit company and everyone really likes each other so when something like this happens, it's a shock no matter what,' said another. — 'This is an unfortunate but normal part of the business cycle, when companies like ours sometimes need to adjust the size of the workforce based on activities that unwind following an election cycle,' McMahon said in a statement to PI. FORBES TATE ADDS A REPUBLICAN: Tori Smith is leaving the Hill, where she served as a policy adviser to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on tax, trade and fintech, to join Forbes Tate Partners as a senior vice president. Prior to joining Blackburn's office, Smith was director of international economic policy at the conservative think tank American Action Forum and before that she spent more than six years working on trade policy for the Heritage Foundation. ANNALS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE: 'A political action committee started by EPA chief Lee Zeldin took a $50,000 contribution from a company tied to a businessman and former plastic industry executive,' E&E News' Tim Cama reports. 'The donation to Leadership America Needs came Nov. 29, 2024, nearly three weeks' after Trump said he'd nominate the former lawmaker to lead EPA. SPOTTED on Wednesday at a 20th anniversary celebration for Mindset at their new Massachusetts Avenue offices, per a tipster: Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Mich.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), William Timmons (R-S.C.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Judd Smith of AWS, Patrick Ottenhoff and Margaret Simmons of Visa, Ryan Eaton and Nana Nyanin of Rocket Companies, Tom Gannon and Mary Kate Clemont of LPL Financial, Randall Ross of SMBC, Baker Elmore of Duke Energy, Daniel Nestel of FICO, Kirk Willison of Arch, Dan Taylor of HSBC, Brittany Kelm of Shell, Gizelle Wray of the Solar Energy Industry Association, Kerry Cole and Amber Milenkevich of New York Life Insurance and James Sonne of Prudential. — And at an open house to commemorate the newly merged Troutman Pepper Locke LLP and Troutman Strategies, per a tipster: Robb Willis, Lindsay Austin, Clark Lewis, Ragen Marsh, Robert Miller, Jason Zanetti, Kirk Dillard, Stephen Piepgrass, Charles Sensiba, Chuck Slemp, Karin Addison, Kade Cullefer, Mike Mannion, Jay Myers, Neftali Partida, Tom Tilton, Chris Baxter, Ryan Diffley, Crystal Brown, Kaitlyn Murphy, Elizabeth Parker, Matt Ralston, Hannah Irvin, Max Turner and Nicole Goshorn of Troutman; House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Reps. Jimmy Panetta(D-Calif.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) and Craig Goldman (R-Texas); Mariann Yeager of The Sequoia Project, Deron Hicks of Global Payments, Courtney Lawrence of Cigna, Dave Cobb and Pat Malone of HDR Inc., Matt Ater of Vispero, Alan Katz of Civitas Networks for Health, Joby Young of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Andrew Ross of Shoals Technologies Group and more. Jobs report — Corey Vale is now president of Push Digital. He was previously vice president of Push Digital's parent company, Push Digital Group. — Adam Piper is returning to the Republican Attorneys General Association for another tenure as executive director. He previously led the organization from 2018-2021, reportedly leaving after a controversy over its support for the Jan. 6 march on the Capitol. — Carl Sceusa will be the next president of IMGE, a GOP-aligned digital marketing firm. He's a longtime GOP operative and former chief executive of WinRed. Current IMGE leader Ethan Eilon will remain with the company as a senior partner. — Uber chief marketing office and senior vice president of corporate affairs Jill Hazelbaker has been named to the national Board of Directors for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. — Jack Stukel is launching Summa Insights in partnership with ColdSpark, providing opposition research and other intelligence to campaigns, groups and companies. He previously was research director at the NRSC for the 2024 cycle. — Camille Stewart Gloster is now senior director of AI and resilience services at cybersecurity company Crowdstrike, Morning Cybersecurity reports. She was previously deputy national cyber director for technology and ecosystem security under Biden. — Margaret Harding McGill is joining Carnegie Mellon University as director of policy engagement. She was previously deputy director in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Public Affairs and is an Axios and POLITICO alum. — Blake Souter is joining AeroVironment as vice president for government relations. He was previously deputy comptroller for budget and appropriations affairs at the Pentagon. — Jed Kolko has joined the JPMorganChase Institute as a senior adviser. He was previously Commerce under secretary for economic affairs. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs Blue Majority Project (Hybrid PAC) Natera, Inc. PAC (Natera PAC) (PAC) National Association of Children's Hospitals PAC (CHA PAC) (PAC) Unlikely Allies PAC (Hybrid PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Alston & Bird LLP: Unitedhealth Group, Inc. Biser Strategies, LLC: Orange Water And Sewer Authority Cgcn Group, LLC: Partner Therapeutics, Inc. Golden Group, LLC: Burnbot, Inc. Golden Group, LLC: Wildfire Industry Collective Holland & Knight LLP: Citizens For Responsible Energy Solutions J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Kodiak Robotics K&L Gates, LLP: Port Of Moses Lake Tides Group, LLC: Key Benefit Administrators, Inc. Western Native Voice: Western Native Voice Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Space X New Lobbying Terminations None.
