Brownstein terminates contract with Libyan presidential hopeful — Intuit signs 2 — Davis’ chief of staff returns to K Street

From: POLITICO Influence - Monday Jul 19,2021 09:44 pm

Jul 19, 2021

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With Daniel Lippman

ROYCE, BROWNSTEIN WILL NO LONGER LOBBY FOR LIBYAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has terminated its foreign agent registration of a former Libyan interior minister just weeks after it was signed. Brownstein signed a six-month deal set to renew annually to represent Fathi Bashaghi toward the end of June, according to a copy filed with the Justice Department earlier this month. According to filings, Brownstein’s Ed Royce, a former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Samantha Carl-Yoder, a former State Department official, and Doug Maguire were to help Bashaghi, who plans to seek Libya’s presidency in its December elections, promote “free and fair elections” in the country, support financial and nonprofit anti-corruption efforts and conduct outreach with U.S. officials. The deal would have brought in $50,000 per month, according to a copy of the contract, but was terminated on July 9, according to a new filing last week. Brownstein did not respond to a request for comment on the termination.

— Royce has registered to perform similar services for Congolese opposition leader Moise Katumbi as a subcontractor to King & Spalding, according to separate DOJ filings last week. Katumbi, a multimillionaire who was exiled from the Democratic Republic of Congo until 2019 , attempted to make a run for the presidency previously but was blocked at the border. He is now viewed as a likely candidate to challenge President Felix Tshisekedi in 2023. Reuters reported earlier this month that an ally of Tshisekedi is pushing legislation “to restrict the presidency to people with two Congolese parents,” which would block Katumbi, whose father was Greek.

— Royce has been tasked with arranging meetings with “policymakers and decision-makers in Congress and the Biden Administration with the goal of strengthening legal, economic, and social cooperation between the US and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The agreement is worth $20,000 per month through December, and Royce has already made good on part of his charge — he met in person last week with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a top Biden ally, according to the filings, and spoke by phone with House Foreign Affairs ranking member Michael McCaul’s (R-Texas) chief of staff.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. What should PI be looking out for in this week’s LDA filings? Get in touch: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

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INTUIT SIGNS 2: In the two months before TurboTax maker Intuit pulled out of the IRS’ Free File program last week, the financial software provider added new firepower on K Street, new disclosure filings show. On May 17 the company retained an eight-person team from Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld that includes former aides to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus and the White House’s Cedric Richmond to lobby on tax administration issues.

— Almost a week later, Intuit tapped theGROUP DC, including another former Richmond staffer and now-President Joe Biden’s vice presidential director of legislative affairs, to lobby on a range of issues involving cybersecurity, privacy, consumer protection, “fintech innovation,” and small business development and growth.

— Last Thursday Intuit said in a blog post that it would no longer participate in the partnership with the IRS to provide free tax preparation after 20 years, citing the agency’s restrictions. It’s another blow to the program Intuit helped aggressively push to create as an alternative to an IRS-run free online filing option after another major tax preparation provider, H&R Block , exited the program last year. The hires expand Intuit’s roster of outside lobbying firms to 15, according to a PI analysis of disclosure filings, which includes one firm initially retained by Credit Karma, the fintech company Intuit acquired in December.

DAVIS’ CHIEF OF STAFF RETURNS TO K STREET: Thorn Run Partners has hired Yul Edwards as a partner in its D.C. office. Edwards was most recently chief of staff to Illinois Rep. Danny Davis, a senior member of both the House Ways and Means and Oversight committees, advising the congressman on issues like tax policy, health care, transportation, energy, and the environment and judiciary. Prior to joining Davis’ office, Edwards lobbied for Fabiani & Company and served as legislative director for former Rep. Frank Ballance (D-N.C.).

CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE: The populist conservative group American Principles Project unveiled a new tool today aimed at identifying which nonprofits, think tanks and academic centers receive funding from Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple, Morning Tech reports. The site, BigTechFunding.com, includes one data set that tracks 400 groups’ tech funding and one that includes 200 groups.

— “Jon Schweppe , the director of policy and government affairs at the APP, said he launched the project after hearing from staffers on Capitol Hill who were confused about which groups involved in policy debates about the tech sector receive money from those same companies. He said it’s particularly important as the House Judiciary Committee continues to work through bipartisan tech antitrust bills, which tech companies and their robust apparatuses in the Capitol have aggressively lobbied against.”

— “‘It’s a needed transparency tool as we have this antitrust fight, especially because a lot of these groups are lobbying these offices directly,’ Schweppe said.” The group rolled out a browser extension as well that identifies tweets from groups that take money from tech companies — “for instance, the browser extension would add a disclosure that says ‘Warning: This group is funded by Google, Facebook and Amazon’ to tweets from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, or the Brookings Institution, a liberal think tank.” The tool comes as GOP lawmakers and conservative groups have begun to swear off cash from tech companies, citing their alleged censorship of conservative viewpoints — allegations the companies have denied.

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HOW MUCH TELECOM SPENT ON INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES LAST CONGRESS: “Internet service providers and their trade associations spent more than $230 million on lobbying and political donations during the 116th Congress as they influenced legislation to expand broadband access,” according to a report out today from the liberal watchdog group Common Cause and Communications Workers of America. “While the internet provider industry is powered by only a handful of companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon , it typically outspends most industries on lobbying, including the real estate and tech industries. The leading telecom companies regularly rank among the top PAC donors,” The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom writes.

— “Cable companies and telecoms have lobbied White House officials to scrap their plan to invest primarily in lightning-fast fiber-optic cable. They say the proposal wouldn’t efficiently bring service to rural areas, and those government subsidies should also go toward the expansion of telecoms’ 5G wireless service.” In addition to highlighting industry spending, the group also calls for a number of reforms, including to lobbying disclosures, campaign finance and shareholder accountability.

TRAVEL INDUSTRY ZEROES IN ON ZIENTS AS FRUSTRATION MOUNTS: “The White House is resisting lifting U.S. travel bans on a broad swath of foreign countries, despite a rising chorus of voices both inside And outside the administration questioning whether they are still necessary in the fight against Covid-19,” POLITICO’s Anita Kumar and Theo Meyer report. “ Critics of the bans point to Jeff Zients, the coordinator of the White House’s coronavirus pandemic response, as the main obstacle standing in the way of easing the longstanding restrictions, according to five people familiar with the matter. And some of them have grown so frustrated with Zients that they said they have begun discussing ways to go around him and take their case to other top administration officials instead.”

AMERICANS WHO HELPED GHOSN ESCAPE SENTENCED TO PRISON: The American father and son who helped former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn flee Japan were convicted and sentenced to up to two years in a Tokyo court today. “Michael Taylor, 60, and his son Peter Taylor, 28, pleaded guilty last month to helping Ghosn flee Japan while awaiting trial on bail,” The Washington Post’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee reports. “The Taylors were arrested by U.S. authorities in Massachusetts in spring 2020 and extradited to Japan in March. Ghosn, 67, was indicted on charges of financial crimes, including under-reporting the true extent of his compensation as chair of the auto company Nissan. He has denied all charges.” Michael Taylor was sentenced to two years and Peter Taylor was sentenced to 20 months in prison. The Taylors’ predicament sparked a lobbying campaign to prevent the men’s extradition to Japan, one that included power attorney Abbe Lowell, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and former Rep. Jeff Denham, whose lobbying firm K&L Gates was still paid less than $5,000 to represent Michael Taylor last quarter, according to a new filing.

Jobs Report

— Accenture has hired Robert Cresanti as a managing director. He’ll lead the company’s North American government relations as well as its global government relations network. He was previously president and chief executive of the International Franchise Association before stepping down in March.

— Liz Ramsay Dalton has joined Boundary Stone Partners as senior vice president. She was most recently at clean tech innovation firm and venture fund Powerhouse and is an Obama Energy Department alum.

— Brian Hale has been named vice president for global market development and public private partnerships at risk management firm QOMPLX. He most recently was at the FBI where he was assistant director of the Office of Public Affairs and is an ODNI and ABC News alum.

— Claire Mullican has been hired as political mobilization manager at the American Chemistry Council. She most recently was scheduler for Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.).

— Jessica Medeiros Garrison has been named as vice president of government affairs for Clearview AI , the facial recognition and data company which works with law enforcement and government security agencies. Medeiros Garrison most recently was director of business development and customer relations at Clearview AI and has been with the company since it first launched its technology in 2019.

New Joint Fundraisers

None.

New PACs

Advanca (PAC)
America Restored PAC (Super PAC)
Integrity In Leadership (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

535 Group, LLC: The Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld: Intuit, Inc. And Affiliates
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld: Kaz USa, Inc.
Arent Fox LLP: The Alicart Group, LLC
Avenue Solutions: Edwards Lifesciences LLC
Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.: Centre Haitien De Recherche En Amenagement Et En Developpement (Chrad)
Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.: The Chiles Group, LLC
Best Best & Krieger LLP: Borrego Water District
Best Best & Krieger LLP: Santa Margarita Water District
Broydrick & Associates: Milwaukee County
Campion Advocacy Fund: Campion Advocacy Fund
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Rebuild Local News Coalition
Capitol Hill Policy Group LLC: Odawi Law Pllc On Behalf Of Coushatta Tribe Of Louisiana
Center Road Solutions: Well Being Trust
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Integrated Energy Materials LLC
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Nervgen Pharma Corp.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Tribal Solutions Group
Covington & Burling LLP: Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance
Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: Lil Mixins
Cross Potomac Consulting LLC: Avon Protection Systems, Inc.
Cross Potomac Consulting LLC: Jcb, Inc.
Cross Potomac Consulting LLC: Neural Propulsion Systems, Inc.
Cross Potomac Consulting LLC: Savannah Area Chamber Of Commerce
Diroma Eck & Co. LLP: Shufti Pro Limited
Dla Piper LLP (US): Flipt, LLC
Fgh Holdings, LLC (Formerly Known As The Glover Park Group LLC): Alliant Energy Corporation
Fgh Holdings, LLC (Formerly Known As The Glover Park Group LLC): Lightbox Parent, L.P.
Foley & Lardner LLP: Masa Global
Foley & Lardner LLP: University Of St Augustine For Health Sciences
Forbes-Tate: New Venture Fund On Behalf Of Center For Secure And Modern Elections
Forbes-Tate: Public Service Enterprise Group
Gladney Law Group: Ullico, Inc.
Guidepoststrategies, LLC: Information Technology Industry Council (Iti)
Hettinger Strategy Group LLC: Onsolve LLC
Hettinger Strategy Group LLC: Qualtrics LLC
Hogan Lovells US LLP: Heliene Inc.
Holland & Knight LLP: K&L Gates On Behalf Of Ansys, Inc.
King & Spalding LLP: Genentech, Inc.
King & Spalding LLP: National League Of Cities
Leavitt Partners, LLC: Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP: Bassett Healthcare Network, Inc.
Lobbyit.Com: Asm Materials Education Foundation
Mayer Brown LLP: The Economic Innovation Group
Mercury Strategies, LLC: Ericsson Inc.
Michael Torrey Associates, LLC: Washington Association Of Wheat Growers
Michelle Nawar: Bolton-St. Johns LLC On Behalf Of Ruralorganizing.Org
Ms. Kerry O'Brien: Resilience Force
New Lantern, LLC: Magic Leap, Inc.
Paul Hastings LLP: Warrior Trading
Pioneer Public Affairs: Universal Hydrogen
Prime Policy Group: Burson Cohn & Wolfe On Behalf Of Spire, Inc.
Rising Tide Associates: Benchmade Knife Company
Rising Tide Associates: Swm International
Sapphire Strategies, LLC: Abortion Survivors Network Education And Policy Center
Sapphire Strategies, LLC: Morrissey Strategic Partners
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Binera, Inc.
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Civica Rx
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Mabus Group Behalf National Security Solutions Zeel
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Sparkz
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Summerbio
Stride Policy Solutions, LLC: Assistive Technology Industry Association
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Bumble Trading LLC
The Edw Group: Leland Jourdan
The Ferguson Group, LLC: James Mcconnell On Behalf Of Orange County Water District
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Intuit Inc. And Affiliates
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Nareit
Venable LLP: Early Warning Services, LLC
Vicki J Hicks: A2 Strategies, LLC Obo Phibro Animal Health Corporation
Welsh Rose, LLC: Action Now Initiative, LLC
Welsh Rose, LLC: Innovage / Total Community Options, LLC

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New Lobbying Terminations

Arent Fox LLP: Potomac Center North, Inc.
Baker & Hostetler LLP: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Baker & Hostetler LLP: Sqi Diagnostics
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Booz Allen Hamilton
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Dlh Corporation
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Jogan Thermal Checkpoint, LLC
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Navigators Global LLC (On Behalf Of Signal Restoration Services)
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Od Security North America LLC
Becker & Poliakoff Pa: Washington Consulting Group Inc
Bl Partners Group, LLC: Meggitt USa, Inc.
Bramer Group, LLC: Standridge Logistics & Consulting, LLC
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Caredx, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Chs, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Kabafusion
Burrell International Group LLC: Apco Worldwide LLC (On Behalf Of Detectnow F/K/A Homodeus Detect) )
Burrell International Group LLC: Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc.
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Custodia Financial, LLC
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Lunar Energy
Charles F Fuller / The Results Company, Inc.: Genworth Financial Mortgage Ins Corp
Clark Hill, Plc: Apple Homecare Medical Supply, Inc.
Cohen & Gresser LLP: Nmar, Inc.
Constantinople & Vallone Consulting LLC: Carmel Car And Limousine Service
Covington & Burling LLP: Freedom For All Americans
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Alpha Facilities Solutions, LLC
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Nuclear Innovation Alliance
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Pods Enterprises, LLC
Dotchin & Associates, LLC: United Parcel Service
Dykema Gossett Pllc: Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission
Forbes-Tate: Arcturus Therapeutics
Forbes-Tate: First Solar Inc.
Forbes-Tate: Interstate Natural Gas Association Of America
Forbes-Tate: Mcculley Mccluer Pllc
Forbes-Tate: Truconnect
Forbes-Tate: Vf Services, LLC
Healy Consulting Group: Sixteen Thirty Fund
Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC: Dyncorp International LLC
Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC: Homesafe Alliance LLC
Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC: Navistar Defense, LLC
Holland & Knight LLP: City Of Stamford, Ct
Ipolicy Solutions: Oncocyte
Kadesh & Associates, LLC: Mammoth Community Water District
King & Spalding LLP: Luminultra Technologies Ltd.
K&L Gates LLP: American Bus Association
K&L Gates LLP: Filtration Group Corporation
K&L Gates LLP: Great Elm Capital Group, Inc.
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: Chf Solutions, Inc.
Lot Sixteen LLC: Cypress Creek Renewables LLC
Mccaulley&Company: Propane People
Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, Inc.: Yes Every Kid, Inc.
Michael Best Strategies LLC: Build America Mutual
Michael Best Strategies LLC: Venture Quest Capital Partners
Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough: Heritage Health Solutions
Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough: Rowley Company
Nexa Strategies, LLC: Dotchin & Associates On Behalf Of United Parcel Service
Perseus Strategies: The Civilitas Foundation
Polaris Government Relations, LLC: Abbott Laboratories
Polsinelli Pc: Omnicell
Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C.: Blue Lake Rancheria
Raffaniello & Associates: Capitol Counsel LLC On Behalf Of Custodia Financial LLC
Sims Strategies, LLC: Orchard Therapeutics North America
Telemedia Policy Corp.: Nextnav LLC
The Livingston Group, L.L.C.: Greater America LLC (On Behalf Of City Of Lancaster)
The Puerto Rico Equality Forum: The Puerto Rico Equality Forum
The Roosevelt Group: Consortium Management Group (Cmg)
The Roosevelt Group: Dzsp-21 LLC
The Roosevelt Group: Northeast Uas Airspace Integration Research Alliance (Nuair)
Tiber Creek Group: Latham & Watkins LLP (On Behalf Of Lg Chem)
Wynne Health Group: Mercy

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