Redl signs Amazon

From: POLITICO Influence - Wednesday Oct 26,2022 09:48 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

With Daniel Lippman

NEW BUSINESS: Amazon has brought on former NTIA Administrator David Redl’s Salt Point Strategies, giving the firm yet another blue-chip tech client and expanding the e-commerce giant’s already-considerable outside lobbying roster.

— In addition to Redl, Salt Point’s Ansley Erdel, a former aide to former Rep. Nathan Deal and Jared Weaver, former deputy chief of staff to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), will lobby on “unlicensed spectrum allocations, non-geosynchronous satellite constellations and consumer technology devices” for the company, which is on track to surpass the $19.3 million it spent on lobbying last year — an all-time high.

— Amazon retains 19 other lobbying firms, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, the Duberstein Group, Ballard Partners, Ricchetti Inc., Capitol Tax Partners, Monument Advocacy, Subject Matter, Federal Street Strategies, East End Group and Holly Strategies.

— Meanwhile, Nazanin Boniadi, the Iranian-born actor and activist, has retained Patrick Costello of Mercury Public Affairs for help with her human rights advocacy amid mass protests in Iran that have sparked a lethal crackdown by the government in Tehran. Costello, a longtime friend of Boniadi, is providing pro bono advisory and logistical support, a source familiar with the work told PI.

— The Biden administration has taken notice of Boniadi’s advocacy. Over the past few weeks, Boniadi has met with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as the administration’s top national security officials and diplomats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

— In a series of tweets, Boniadi said she used the meetings to urge the administration to call for an emergency hearing of the UN Human Rights Council in response to Iran’s crackdown on protesters and pushed the administration on “shifting our Iran foreign policy focus from nuclear proliferation/regional aggression to helping Iranians hold their regime to account.”

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. I’ll be off tomorrow and Friday, but you’ll be in the very capable hands of Hailey Fuchs. Send Hailey your lobbying and K Street tips: hfuchs@politico.com . And be sure to follow her on Twitter: @Hailey_Fuchs .

 

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KNOWING LARRY PUCCIO: E&E News Scott Waldman profiles Larry Puccio, a longtime friend and former chief of staff to one of the evenly divided Senate’s most powerful members, Joe Manchin, and who has lately cashed in on that relationship on K Street .

— “Puccio’s ascent into federal lobbying came just before Manchin had diluted, or jettisoned, some of the strongest provisions proposed to reduce emissions within the power sector. When asked if he and Puccio had discussed certain details of the climate and energy bills, Manchin said, ‘He’s an unconditional friend, and I talk to all my unconditional friends.’”

— Puccio has pulled in at least $766,000 since he first began lobbying at the federal level last year. In the months preceding that work, Puccio “‘said he had energy companies begging him to open an office in D.C. because he had access to Joe, and that made it easier for him to do business there than in West Virginia,’ said Scott Sears , a former Manchin adviser and a past executive director of the West Virginia Democratic Party who has been friends with Puccio for decades. ‘He said it was because of everything Joe was doing as chair of the energy committee.’”

— “Since then, Manchin’s legislative work stands to benefit Puccio’s clients. That includes provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as the bipartisan infrastructure law. Manchin was a key architect of both measures.”

BANKS CHAFE AT ‘JUNK FEE’ GUIDANCE: Top financial trade groups chided the CFPB after a warning from the consumer watchdog this morning that the imposition of certain fees like overdraft fees could be considered “unfair” and thus violate the Consumer Financial Protection Act.

— CFPB Director Rohit Chopra and President Joe Biden rolled out the guidance and railed against “hidden" and "surprise" banking fees at the White House this morning, drawing protests from the industry’s representatives in Washington who took issue with the agency’s approach and the administration’s characterization of the fees.

— “Today’s Bureau action attempts to sensationalize highly regulated fees that are already clearly disclosed to customers under existing federal rules,” argued Rob Nichols, the head of the American Bankers Association, calling the announcement “consistent” with the agency’s “misguided public relations campaign against so-called ‘junk fees.’”

— Nichols defended the industry’s use of another type of penalty targeted by the CFPB — fees imposed on depositors when they cash a check that bounces — and noted that many banks have begun to move away from overdraft fees and that recent polling conducted by the trade group found many customers understand their banks’ fees. He accused the agency of trying to “regulate via press release” rather than with input from stakeholders through the usual rulemaking process.

Dan Berger , the president and chief executive of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, asserted that Chopra’s warning amounted to “scare tactics and legally non-binding guidance.” Berger added in a statement that “credit unions always put their members first, not their bottom lines, and follow the law by clearly disclosing their fees for products and services to consumers.”

— “The reality is that America’s leading banks are required by law to clearly disclose fees charged for all products and services they provide consumers,” echoed Consumer Bankers Association president and chief executive Lindsey Johnson, who added that “as the nation grapples with continued economic uncertainty, it is imperative that hardworking families have access to safe and affordable financial tools to meet their unique needs.”

HOUSE DEMS CALL IN THE CAVALRY: “House Democrats scrambling to keep pace with the onslaught of late-arriving Republican super PAC dollars are again turning to billionaire Mike Bloomberg for help in the closing days of the midterms,” our Chris Cadelago, Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris report.

— The former New York City mayor “is sending another $10 million to the House Majority PAC , an adviser told POLITICO. The donation comes as Democratic leadership labors for more dollars to protect seats and avert a massive red wave. ‘He has a long-standing relationship with Speaker Pelosi, was aware of the party’s current needs, and wanted to step up again,’ Marc La Vorgna, a Bloomberg spokesperson, told POLITICO.”

— “The latest cash influx, which brings to $21 million Bloomberg’s contribution to House Democrats, is not earmarked and can be spent in districts where party leaders are desperately trying to hang on. It’s part of a new, broader strategy by one of the world’s wealthiest men to spread around his dollars to battleground races further down the midterm ballot to avert threats from Republicans.”

OIL AND GAS SPEND HEAVILY ON GOP SUPER PACS: “If Republicans take the House or Senate majority in next month’s midterm elections, they’ll have the oil and natural gas industry to thank — at least to an extent,” per E&E’s Tim Cama. This cycle, “oil and gas companies have been among some of the biggest donors to the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund” — the two main super PACs tied to House Republican and Senate Republican leadership, respectively.

— “Records show that Chevron Corp. has given $3 million to CLF as of Sept. 30, the most recent information available, making it among the biggest donors. Other oil and gas interests aren’t far behind. The American Petroleum Institute, refining and industrial conglomerate Koch Industries Inc. and pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners LP each contributed $2 million to CLF, as did OTA Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners LP, making them among the biggest donors to the organization. Drilling firm Occidental Petroleum Corp. donated $1 million.”

— “Occidental’s $4 million in donations to SLF made it among the top donors to the super PAC — though the No. 1 was One Nation, a nonprofit tied to SLF that can take in contributions without disclosing donors. Chevron gave $2.75 million to SLF, while Koch gave $1.5 million, and OTA and API each gave $1 million.” Though the industry’s donations have long skewed Republican, during the 2022 cycle, fossil fuel interests have “overshadowed most other interests.”

 

JOIN WOMEN RULE THURSDAY FOR A TALK WITH DEPARTING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: A historic wave of retirements is hitting Congress, including several prominent Democratic women such as Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, House Democrats’ former campaign chief. What is driving their departures? Join POLITICO on Oct. 27 for “The Exit Interview,” a virtual event that will feature a conversation with departing members where they'll explain why they decided to leave office and what challenges face their parties ahead. REGISTER HERE .

 
 
Jobs Report

Alex Eveland has joined the National Multifamily Housing Council as a vice president of government affairs. He most recently served as chief of staff to Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). NMHC has also added Sarah Rahman as a legislative analyst on the government affairs team and Noah Fischer as a research analyst on the research team.

— Ballard Partners has promoted Hunter Morgen to partner in the Washington office. He was previously a senior adviser and is a Trump White House alum.

Sarah Keller will be the director of government communications at Intel. She previously was senior director for communications and strategy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Rodney Kazibwe is now deputy director of government relations for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He most recently was the foreign affairs legislative assistant to Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) and is a Chuck Schumer alum.

Raffi Williams has joined the Managed Funds Association as vice president of communications. He was most recently a vice president at Edelman Smithfield and previously was with the Federal Housing Finance Agency and HUD.

Robert Black is now vice president of public affairs at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. He was previously vice president of external affairs at AEP Texas.

— Former U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan is joining Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service as a distinguished fellow.

Bruce Belliveau is now senior consultant in the outreach and business development division of the Loan Programs Office with the Energy Department. He most recently was principal at Roman Arch Clean Energy Finance.

Chad Schumacher is now director of government affairs at AeroVironment. He previously was senior manager of government affairs at Lockheed Martin.

John Tuttle is now a special assistant in the office of the secretary at HUD. He most recently was Mid-Atlantic, abroad and PAC finance director at the DNC.

Jeremy Konyndyk is joining Refugees International as president. He previously was the executive director of USAID’s Covid-19 Task Force and a senior adviser to USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis has promoted Amelia Makin and Andrew Stein to executive vice presidents; Gabrielle Lee to senior vice president for diversity equity inclusion and accessibility and multicultural communications; Brooke Blumberg to senior vice president for awards and content and Alejandro Grau to head of the San Francisco office.

ICSC has added Moutray McLaren as vice president for public policy. He most recently served as chief of staff to Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) and is a Mick Mulvaney and OMB alum.

New Joint Fundraisers

None.

New PACs

ABC PAC (Super PAC)
Convention 2024 (Super PAC)
Heartland Revival PAC (Super PAC)
Oregon for Progress PAC (Super PAC)
Safer Cities USA Action Fund (Super PAC)
TOMORROW IS MEANINGFUL PAC - FEDERAL (Leadership PAC: Tim Scott)

New Lobbying Registrations

Capstone National Partners: Modern Electron
Capstone National Partners: Responsive Deployment
Hogan Lovells US LLP: Fc Compassus, LLC
Welsh Rose, LLC: America'S Essential Hospitals

New Lobbying Terminations

Thorn Run Partners: Skyre, Inc.

 

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