Kobre & Kim signs Russian oligarch

From: POLITICO Influence - Thursday Jul 07,2022 10:25 pm
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By Hailey Fuchs

With Daniel Lippman

KOBRE & KIM SIGNS ABRAMOVICH: Kobre & Kim registered this week to represent Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, not long after a slew of lobbying or law firms dropped their Russian clients en masse in wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

— Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club and a shareholder of the Russian steel and mining corporation Evraz, has been sanctioned in Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom but not in the United States. However, last month, the U.S. obtained a warrant to seize two planes owned by the oligarch that, the government alleged, were flown to Russia in violation of recent sanctions.

— In its filings with DOJ, the firm notes that its services on behalf of the oligarch will include political activities, specifically “Advocacy to U.S. government officials regarding ongoing and prospective administrative and judicial legal proceedings.”

— The firm also notes that Abramovich is acting as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. In a statement, Kobre & Kim co-founder Michael Kim , who is among the agents registered on behalf of the firm’s newly registered client, emphasized Abramovich’s role.

— “Kobre & Kim is pleased to offer its assistance in matters of legal importance to ensure the law is fairly applied,” Kim said. “This principle is especially important as our client is recognized for his involvement in the peace negotiations as well as humanitarian efforts, a due and fair process in relation to any legal or administrative matters is essential to ensure his efforts are not hindered.”

Michael Sherwin, former acting U.S. attorney for D.C., will also work on the account. Sherwin was the top prosecutor in charge of the Capitol riot-related criminal cases.

— An agreement filed by Kobre & Kim acknowledges the sanctions placed on Abramovich and that the firm intends to file for the necessary licenses to be paid for its work.

— Experts on the Foreign Agents Registration Act said the filing indicates that the firm’s work will extend beyond usual legal representation. David H. Laufman, a partner at Wiggin and Dana who specializes in FARA compliance, noted that FARA contains an exemption for legal representation. As a result, he added, the filing with the Department of Justice would appear to imply that Kobre & Kim’s work will extend beyond representation in a government investigation or enforcement matter.

— “It’s fair to construe from this that they intend to embark on a suite of activities on his behalf to engage in outreach with various U.S. government officials to create a more favorable climate on his behalf,” Laufman said.

Greetings from PI, and happy Thursday. My name is Hailey Fuchs, and I’m taking the reins of the newsletter this week. Send me all your money + influence tips to hfuchs@politico.com, and follow me on Twitter @Hailey_Fuchs.

 

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NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST RESIGNS FROM THINK TANK: Joseph Cirincione, a former senior nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, announced he had resigned from the organization, citing its stance on the war in Ukraine.

Cirincione told Influence that he had for months tried to change the institute’s position, which he argued cast blame on the United States and NATO for a war driven entirely by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He submitted his resignation letter last night. Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton also announced his resignation from the institute’s board last month.

—  ”The institute is ignoring the dangers and the horrors of Russia’s invasion and occupation, focuses almost exclusively on criticism of the United States, NATO, and Ukraine,” Cirincione said. “They excuse Russia’s military threats and actions because they believe that they have been provoked by U.S. policies.”

— Cirincione, formerly senior vice president for national security at the Center for American Progress , has written extensively on nuclear weapons and served as an adviser to the presidential campaigns of President Barack Obama and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

— The institute’s CEO Lora Lumpe said in a statement that the organization regrets Cirincione’s decision to resign but that its staff have not argued that Putin does not bear responsibility for the war.

“Joe has made it clear that he disagrees with the priority that our staff experts have put on reaching a diplomatic resolution to end this war; we have heard Joe’s concerns, but believe that any U.S. policy that risks significant escalation, including bringing the United States into the war with a nuclear-armed Russia, should be avoided,” Lumpe said.

SENEGAL ENLISTS MERCURY: Senegal has engaged Mercury Public Affairs to help with consulting, lobbying, and government and public relations, according to filings with the Department of Justice.

— The Bulgarian firm Kirjas, run by the former Macedonian politician Emil Kirjas , has subcontracted the services on behalf of Senegal. Mercury will be paid $13,000 per month as part of an effort to boost the image of Senegal’s president Macky Sall.

— The firm is tasked with “organizing and coordinating outreach to U.S. Government officials in Congress and the Executive Branch while strategically maximizing public exposure, and seeking key opportunities on behalf of the Client with think tanks and other non-governmental organizations, such as speaking engagements at high-profile events,” according to the FARA filing.

GUN CEOs MAY GO BEFORE CONGRESS: The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executive officers of three gun manufacturers to appear before lawmakers this month, The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany reports.

— “Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee’s chairwoman, on Wednesday sent letters to Marty Daniel, CEO of Daniel Defense; Mark Smith, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands; and Christopher Killoy, president and CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Co., requesting testimony as a part of a second hearing hosted by the committee examining the firearms industry.”

— “Daniel Defense is the maker of the DDM4 rifle the gunman used to kill 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex., and a shooter on Monday used a Smith & Wesson M&P semiautomatic rifle to kill at least seven people and wound dozens of others during a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Ill.”

— “The July 20 hearing comes after Maloney launched an investigation into gun manufacturers in May. Maloney requested information from five manufacturers regarding the making, sale and marketing of deadly weapons used in mass shootings that were purchased legally and used by the gunmen responsible for the carnage in Uvalde, Highland Park and Buffalo.”

DONORS GET MEDAL OF FREEDOM: 13 of the 17 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients have given to Democrats, Bryan Metzger reports for Insider.

— “Some recipients gave rather small sums to Democrats, and three of them — Richard Trumka, Steve Jobs, and the late Sen. John McCain — are receiving the award posthumously.”

— “But others gave big money, and their awards today underscore how this honor sometimes comes with political overtones. In 2018, for example, then-President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, best known as wife of casino mogul and Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who has since died.”

Jobs Report

Enrique Benavides is now senior manager for global government engagement at Visa.

— Former DNC National Director Michael Steed has been unanimously elected to the board of The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

Alex Ignatowski joins the Institute for Reforming Government as director of state budget and government reform. He most recently served as a legislative policy adviser to Waukesha County and is an alum of the administration of Gov. Scott Walker.

Laurie Rubiner joins the government relations and public policy practice at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. Rubiner, former executive vice president for domestic programs at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, has also served as chief of staff to Sen. Richard Blumenthal and legislative director to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Lourdes Diaz-Hurtado has joined YouTube as corporate projects manager for government affairs and public policy. She was previously government affairs and global public policy manager at Dell.

Evan Berryhill has joined Firehouse Strategies as vice president. He was previously deputy director of communications for Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign.

— Per POLITICO’s Morning Defense newsletter, retired vice admiral Mike Dumont has joined Pallas Advisors.

Cherie Wilson is now vice president for government affairs for sustainability at Delta Air Lines.

Sean Cairncross is now a senior visiting fellow at the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. He was formerly CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Patrick Pannett has joined the Consumer Technology Association as director of industry comms. He was formerly vice president at Ogilvy.

New Joint Fundraisers

Laxalt Vance Victory Committee (Laxalt for Senate, JD Vance for Senate Inc.)

Logan Victory Fund (George Logan for Congress, GSL PAC)

Win the Senate 2022 (Ted Budd for Senate, Alamo PAC, Britt for Alabama Inc, JD Vance for Senate Inc., Laxalt for Senate, Doctor Oz for Senate)

New PACs

Higher Heights for Africa PAC (Hybrid PAC)

Conservatives for a Stronger America (Super PAC)

GSL PAC (Leadership PAC: George Logan)

Nevada for Freedom (Super PAC)

Asian Voting Association (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

Mason Street Consulting, LLC: Limbix Health, Inc.

Forza Dc Strategies, LLC: Scott Dillard

Wise: Wise

Squire Patton Boggs: Astrazeneca Uk Ltd.

Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Smith & Nephew

The Franklin Partnership: Forging Industry Association

The Normandy Group, LLC: City Of Eagle Pass, Texas

Roberti Global (fka Roberti White, LLC): Serac Healthcare Ltd

Subject Matter (fka Elmendorf Ryan): dYdX Trading Inc.

New Lobbying Terminations

None

 

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