Raytheon adds an old rival

From: POLITICO Influence - Tuesday Mar 29,2022 09:16 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

With Sam Sutton and Daniel Lippman  

RAYTHEON ADDS BROWNSTEIN: Raytheon Technologies has added more outside lobbying muscle, including hiring another lobbyist who used to work for a key competitor. The defense giant brought on Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in mid-February, according to newly filed lobbying disclosures.

Tim Keating, who spent 14 years at Boeing, ultimately serving as the aerospace company’s top lobbyist before departing abruptly last summer, will be part of Raytheon’s new lobbying team, as will Brownstein D.C. managing partner Marc Lampkin, former House Armed Services aide Ari Zimmerman and Samantha Carl-Yoder, a former U.S. diplomat.

— Brownstein will lobby for Raytheon on international tax, appropriations and FAA reauthorization issues, according to the filing. The contractor hardly has a shallow lobbying bench — Raytheon reported dropping more than $15 million on lobbying last year, surpassing rival Boeing and fellow defense giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics. Raytheon already retains several of the biggest firms on K Street, including BGR, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Invariant, Holland & Knight and American Defense International.

— Keating is not the first executive from Boeing’s government affairs shop now providing their services to Raytheon. Last year, Raytheon hired away Jeff Shockey , Boeing’s vice president of global sales and marketing for defense, space and government services, to be its top lobbyist. Raytheon also hired S-3 Group, which Shockey co-founded, to lobby on its behalf last year.

— Raytheon’s latest hire came just before lawmakers put the finishing touches on a $1.5 omnibus spending package that allocated $3.5 billion in emergency funding for the military to backfill stocks of weapons sent to Ukraine, including Javelin and Stinger missiles Raytheon helps manufacture. The White House asked for even more defense spending in its budget proposal released Monday, which is expected to set off a scramble for a piece of the pie , as POLITICO reported yesterday.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Tips: coprysko@politico.com. Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

 

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STRYK IN TALKS TO REPRESENT POTASH INDUSTRY IN BELARUS: Lobbyist Robert Stryk and former Rep. Scott Taylorare jockeying to serve as middlemen between interests in Belarus — a key Russian ally — and the U.S. government,” POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs reports — in fact, the two were in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, last month when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine to pitch their services.

— “Stryk wasn’t in Belarus on a diplomatic mission. He is in talks to work with the country’s potash industry, which has faced sanctions from the Biden administration — though the arrangement has not yet been formalized.”

— “Belarus, whose president is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin , is one of the few countries openly helping the Kremlin in its invasion of Ukraine. It has become a staging ground for Russian troops to enter the country and move on Kyiv. And, for that, it has become an increasing pariah for the West. NATO recently held a military exercise on the Poland-Belarus border as a show of force against the country.”

— “Taylor insists that he is not working for an enemy so much as trying to create dialogue to end the conflict. He noted that advocating for the government of Belarus would be a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.”

NEW IN TOWN: TaxBit, a tax and accounting software company specializing in digital assets, is opening a new Washington office as part of a broader effort to push lawmakers and federal agencies to clarify crypto tax policies, CEO Austin Woodward told Sam in an interview.

— The Salt Lake City-based firm, which counts the IRS among its clients, made its first lobbying hire earlier this month when it tapped Invariant to assist with its efforts around the Hill. “We expect to spend a significant amount of time and resources with lawmakers, with the IRS and otherwise so that we can help propel digital asset adoption forward,” Woodward said.

— IRS officials have identified digital assets as a significant contributor to an estimated $1 trillion tax gap, and President Joe Biden ’s latest budget includes three crypto-related proposals that are projected to raise $11 billion over the next decade.

— TaxBit announced a handful of Washington-based hires last month, including former Red Hat executive Nathan Jones, who was brought in to lead its public sector sales and government affairs unit, and former IRS senior counsel Miles Fuller to be its head of government solutions. Former Microsoft and DocuSign attorney Christi Muoneke was recently brought in as the company's corporate general counsel.

MORE UKRAINE FALLOUT ON K STREET: “A top U.S. lobbying firm has dropped the Sudanese government as a client, citing the military junta's close ties to Russia and failure to denounce Moscow's invasion of Ukraine,” per The Africa Report’s Julian Pecquet.

— “Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough broke off its engagement with the Sudanese Commission for Social Safety, Solidarity, and Poverty Reduction on 7 March, according to a newly disclosed lobbying filing, leaving $360,000 on the table. The firm had signed a 12-month contract at the end of January to try to repair bilateral ties and ‘facilitate foreign aid and investments in Sudan’ after the US suspended $700m in annual aid following Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s 25 October coup.”

— “‘I wasn’t comfortable being in any way supporting the government, because it just did not seem as though they were fully committed to a civilian controlled government,’ says Nelson Mullins senior policy adviser Jim Moran, a former Democratic member of Congress from Virginia who signed the contract with Sudanese Commissioner General Ezzadean Elsafi.”

— “Just last month, Moran told The Africa Report that he had agreed to work with Elsafi because he was a technocrat who seemed well positioned to help the Sudanese people. … Moran said the breaking point came after Sudan abstained from condemning Russia’s invasion at the United Nations,” and that the firm would return its initial $90,000 quarterly payment.

THE TIES THAT BIND (SKDK TO THE WHITE HOUSE): SKDK’s Anita Dunn returned to the White House a second time earlier this month for a short stint in the West Wing, The Washington Post’s Tyler Pager, Sean Sullivan and Michael Scherer report in a look at “ how Dunn and her firm are a unique force in Biden’s Washington — straddling the line between the private sector and the administration to quietly staff the government, steer the presidency and remake the Democratic Party in Biden’s image.”

— The episode once again raised questions among ethics experts who noted that, as a temporary employee being paid just below a key salary threshold, Dunn was able to avoid filing financial disclosures that would shed light on SKDK’s client list and wasn’t required to sign the administration’s ethics pledge, though “a person close to Dunn” told the Post that “neither SKDK nor Dunn lobby or represent any clients on matters before the federal government.”

— “White House spokesman Chris Meagher said in a statement that Dunn is ‘a trusted advisor who has known the president for a long time,’ adding that she returned to ‘the White House temporarily to bring her expertise and add capacity at a key time.’ Meagher said Dunn received ‘rigorous counseling on her ethics obligations as an SGE, including avoiding any potential conflicts of interest.’”

— Even “beyond Dunn, SKDK’s ties can be found across the administration, where at least eight of the firm’s former employees currently work, according to a Washington Post tally. In addition, at least eight officials who have served in the Biden administration subsequently joined or rejoined the firm. When those who worked on the Biden campaign and transition are also included, a total of at least 19 individuals connected to the Biden operations have worked at SKDK or are working there now.”

West Wing Playbook expanded on the piece, reporting that “Dunn’s personal Gmail is also occasionally cc’d on emails that only include other senior White House officials, according to a recent email viewed by West Wing Playbook and other White House officials who have observed the practice” and pointing out that “in a video the White House released about Biden preparing for the State of the Union, Dunn was featured as one of the senior advisers helping the president.”

 

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Jobs Report

JR Kane is now government and civic relations program manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, where he will focus on federal engagement. He was most recently a legislative assistant for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and is an EPW Committee alum.

— Boeing has named Ted Colbert president and chief executive officer of its defense, space and security business, succeeding Leanne Caret, who is retiring following nearly 35 years at Boeing. Stephanie Pope will be president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, succeeding Colbert.

Nick Hornedo is now editorial and digital communications strategist at Phenomenal, Meena Harris’ production company. He most recently was digital comms manager at the Department of Transportation, and is a Pete Buttigieg campaign and House Ways and Means alum.

Jayson Browder and Mike Sexton are now senior policy advisers for Third Way’s national security program. Browder most recently was assistant dean and chief of staff to the associate vice chancellor at New York University Abu Dhabi, and is a Beto O’Rourke alum. Sexton previously was director and founder of the cyber program at the Middle East Institute, and is a Chertoff Group alum.

Katie Tomarchio is now a senior manager of public policy at ChargePoint. She previously was senior manager of political programs at the American Gas Association.

Alec Sears is now social media and digital strategist at the RNC. He previously was a manager in the digital department of Plus Communications.

New Joint Fundraisers

None.

New PACs

Democracy For All (Super PAC)
Educate to Innovate (Super PAC)
GRAY PANTHERS PAC (PAC)
Justice Unites Us (PAC)
LOUISIANA HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (LHBA-PAC) (PAC)
Olive AI Inc. Civic Action Fund (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

A1.9 Strategies LLC: O'Brien, Gentry, And Scott LLC Obo Dsg Technology
Ballard Partners: Iguana Investments Florida LLC
Banks & Company, LLC: Minorities For Medical Marijuana
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Icon Recovery LLC
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Locus Solutions, LLC
Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo Locus Solutions, LLC
Galaxy Digital Holdings Lp: Galaxy Digital Holdings Lp
Johnston Group, LLC: Tri State Memorial Hospital
Larkin Hoffman: Association Of Minnesota Counties
Larkin Hoffman: Lake Of The Woods County
Larkin Hoffman: Martin County
Larkin Hoffman: Minnesota Association Of Community Mental Health Programs
Larkin Hoffman: National Loon Center
Larkin Hoffman: US Solar
Mccaulley&Company: Geauga Park District
Squire Patton Boggs: Foodshed.Io
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Dba Taft Advisors LLC Fka (Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP): North American Midway Entertainment
Thorn Run Partners: City Of San Rafael, Ca
Thorn Run Partners: Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (Ey)
Thorn Run Partners: National Premium Financing Association
Thorn Run Partners: Sonoma County Water Agency
Twinlogic Strategies, LLP: Nokia Of America Corporation
Venable LLP: Academy Of Medical-Surgical Nurses
Venable LLP: Advocate Aurora Health
Venable LLP: Alliance For Aging Research
Venable LLP: American Nephrology Nurses Association
Venable LLP: American Society Of Tropical Medicine And Hygiene
Venable LLP: American Urological Association
Venable LLP: Big Cities Health Coalition
Venable LLP: College Of Psychiatric And Neurologic Pharmacists
Venable LLP: Drugs For Neglected Diseases Initiative North America
Venable LLP: Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP On Behalf Of Shirley Ryan Abilitylab
Venable LLP: Geneoscopy
Venable LLP: Gift Of Life Donor Program
Venable LLP: Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership, North America (Gardp Na)
Venable LLP: Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC
Venable LLP: Naf
Venable LLP: National Athletic Trainers Association
Venable LLP: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Dba Ochsner Health
Venable LLP: Path
Venable LLP: Patient Access Network Foundation
Venable LLP: Spina Bifida Association
Ward And Smith, P.A.: Carteret County

New Lobbying Terminations

None.

 

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