|
Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | With Daniel Lippman THE JAN. 6 ATTORNEY DIASPORA: Since the House Jan. 6 select committee disbanded earlier this year, some of the panel’s top investigators have scattered throughout Washington, landing new jobs at prominent law firms around the capital. — Those staffers on one of the most high-profile congressional investigations in some time will now be on the other side of the coin, advising clients on how to navigate government probes and white collar investigations as Republicans embark on an ambitious oversight agenda with their new House majority. — Some attorneys for the committee left for the private sector at the end of last year, as the committee’s work was winding down. That includes Marcus Childress, an investigative counsel who joined the law and lobbying firm Jenner & Block in November as a special counsel in the firm’s government controversies and public policy litigation; congressional investigations; and investigations, compliance and defense practices. — In a statement announcing his hiring, the firm touted Childress’ “years of investigations experience in government and private practice” that would “significantly benefit our clients facing matters at the intersection of the law, policy, government, and media scrutiny.” — “In our fast-paced times, the reputation stakes for those caught in the spotlight have never been higher,” partner Emily Loeb, a Biden Justice Department official who recently joined the firm, noted in a press release. “Marcus’ experience as a lead investigator in the House’s January 6th Committee will be a key asset for our clients as they navigate this challenging landscape,” she added. DJ Williams, a staff assistant on the Jan. 6 committee, also joined Jenner & Block as a practice assistant at the end of last year. — The latest Jan. 6 staffers to head downtown were Tim Heaphy, the panel’s lead investigator, who this week joined the D.C. office of white-shoe firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, along with Soumya Dayananda, who led the select committee’s team investigating the security of the Capitol complex. — Another investigator on the panel, Sandeep Prasanna, joined Miller & Chevalier in December as a senior associate, where he’ll deploy his “critical insight into how investigations work and how Congress operates," firm Chair Kathryn Cameron Atkinson, said in a statement announcing his hiring. — Kevin Elliker, who worked as a federal prosecutor before becoming an investigator on the Jan. 6 committee, has returned to his former law firm, Hunton Andrews Kurth. Former investigative counsel Casey Lucier also returned to her old firm, McGuireWoods, as a partner in the government investigations and white collar litigation department following her work for the committee. — Other committee attorneys and staff have landed jobs in government affairs, like Lisa Bianco, the committee’s member services director, is launching a federal government relations practice for the Annapolis-based firm Perry, White, Ross & Jacobson and committee investigator Bryan Bonner is now a director for energy, sustainability and infrastructure at the advisory firm Guidehouse. Others who left the Hill are working in research and academia on issues from tech policy and online disinformation to constitutional rights and influence operations. Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. A couple quick programming notes: I’ll be off tomorrow, and the newsletter will be off Monday for the Presidents Day holiday. Our Hailey Fuchs will be filling in once again, so pass along tips for tomorrow’s edition to hfuchs@politico.com. We’ll be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, so send those tips to coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow Hailey and me on Twitter: @Hailey_Fuchs and @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | ACTUM ADDS 8: Actum, a firm launched last year by lobbyists who defected from Mercury, has poached two new partners and four other lobbyists from the law and lobbying firm Clark Hill, on top of half a dozen additional hires. Kevin Kelly, who also spent more than two decades at Van Scoyoc Associates previously, will join Actum as a partner along with Leticia Mederos. — Mederos brings with her ties to some of the top appropriators on the Hill, previously serving as chief of staff to House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and as a labor policy adviser to new Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.). — The firm is also adding Clark Hill’s Lauren Lipin, Jasper Thomson, Alexander Rauda and Paul Mueller, in addition to Jeff Regan of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Livingston Group’s Jacqueline Harrell. TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: “After months of virtual silence, TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew is preparing for the fight of his professional life, meeting with members of Congress and state governors as part of an aggressive push to prove the wildly popular Chinese-owned app is not a national security threat,” The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell reports. — “‘There are more than 100 million voices in this country, and I think it’ll be a real shame if our users around the world are not able to hear them anymore,’ Chew said Tuesday during an exclusive interview with The Washington Post, referring to the number of U.S. TikTok users.” — “‘We have to have tough conversations on: Who is using it now? What kind of value does it bring to them? What does it mean if we just, like, rip it out of their hands?’ he added. ‘I don’t take this conversation of “let’s just ban TikTok” very lightly. … I don’t think it’s a trivial question. I don’t think it should be something that’s decided, you know, in 280 characters.’” — “The married father of two, a Harvard Business School graduate based in his native Singapore, spent Tuesday in the halls of Congress trying to convince lawmakers that the company is not run — as some argue — by Chinese government lackeys, propagandists or spies.” — “TikTok is not without friends in the United States. Chew arrived in Washington this week after attending the Super Bowl, where an official with TikTok parent ByteDance said he was a guest of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. … An NFL spokesman didn’t dispute Chew’s attendance but said he was not in the commissioner’s suite. Still, that’s better than the welcome he’s getting in Washington.” ESG OPPONENTS PIVOT TO WASHINGTON: “Congressional Republicans’ crusade to stymie the Biden administration’s sustainable investing policies has kicked lobbyists and other advocates into high gear,” E&E News’ Tim Cama reports. — “Efforts to encourage or punish so-called environment, social and governance (ESG) investing has in recent years focused heavily on state governments, some of which have banned certain financial institutions from pushing companies to clean up their operations.” — “But with Republicans in the House majority and the administration getting more active in wanting to promote sustainable investing, lobbyists and other advocates are putting new energy into the fight. — “Organizations affiliated with conservative causes and industry are lining up to oppose ESG policies. While they support investors doing whatever they want with their money, ESG critics say the left simply wants to bully fund managers and institutions to quash fossil fuels.” KOCHS NOT SOLD ON PENCE: “After the influential Koch network announced this month that it would endorse a rival candidate to former President Donald Trump, donors aligned with Mike Pence privately reached out in hopes of securing its backing,” POLITICO’s Adam Wren reports. — “The push from donors to Americans for Prosperity — the advocacy arm founded by the billionaire industrialists Charles G. Koch and the late David H. Koch — was straightforward. According to two people familiar with the ad-hoc conversations, the donors stressed that the former vice president was best aligned with the libertarian worldview that the brothers have supported in the past.” — “Pence has a relationship with the group that spans more than a decade. It was also not lost on anyone that many top Pence aides emerged from the Koch network and seemed poised to help run a presidential campaign when one is announced. Despite those ties, however, the Koch network is, so far, content to keep its powder dry, looking to survey the field before deciding how to shape it.” CHAMBER ESCALATES FTC FIGHT: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has made no secret of its animosity toward Lina Khan's Federal Trade Commission, took another shot at the head of the agency today, urging lawmakers to cut the agency off pending the results of an investigation it is pushing for into alleged "mismanagement" at the agency by its remaining commissioners. — "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has grave concerns about the leadership of Lina Khan, due process, and accountability at the Federal Trade Commission," the group's chief policy officer Neil Bradley wrote to the heads of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bradley pointed to the resignation earlier this week of the commission's only remaining Republican commissioner Christine Wilson, which Wilson said in an op-ed stemmed from Khan's alleged "disregard for the rule of law and due process and the way senior FTC officials enable her." — "We strongly urge you to conduct oversight, including hearings, of the current Commissioners regarding agency mismanagement," Bradley wrote. "We urge you to conduct immediate oversight and ask that you refrain from granting the agency any new rulemaking authority until such oversight is complete and accountability measures are put in place." — Bradley's letter is the latest in a barrage of attacks on Khan's leadership of the FTC. Khan's stronger stance on competition issues has won plaudits from liberals and antitrust hawks, but sparked procedural complaints from the business community she's sought to regulate. The Chamber sued the agency last summer over its alleged refusal to hand over public records related to its work. It threatened another lawsuit earlier this year aimed at blocking a new proposal by Khan to ban noncompete clauses, which the group maintains the FTC does not have the authority to implement.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | SPOTTED at an event hosted by the Household & Commercial Products Association on Wednesday at The Monocle to celebrate the reauthorization of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, per a tipster: Steve Caldeira and Mike Gruber of HCPA; Jim Jones of J. Jones Environmental, Chris Novak and Peggy Browne of CropLife America; Laurie Flanagan and David Crow of D.C. Legislative and Regulatory Services; Megan Provost of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, Daniel Savery of Earthjustice, Noah Kowalski and Ashley O’Sullivan of Invariant, James Glueck of the Torrey Advisory Group, Tres Bailey of Ecolab, Ron Phillips of the Animal Health Institute, Anastasia Swearingen of the Center for Biocide Chemistries, Elizabeth Boylan of FMC Corporation and Jeff Blackwood of BASF. — And at the American Institute of Architects’ 2023 leadership summit reception marking the culmination the trade group’s fly-in, per a tipster: John Boling of the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants, Matt Young of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Roxanne Blackwell of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Gabe Maser, Aaron Davis and Lisa Berger of the International Code Council, David Pore of Hance Scarborough and AIA staff including new executive vice president and CEO Lakisha Ann Woods. — Emily Michael is now director of federal government relations at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. She previously was legislative director for House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), and is a John McCain and Andy Harris alum. — The American Hotel & Lodging Association has promoted Troy Flanagan to executive vice president of external government affairs and industry relations and Chirag Shah to executive vice president of federal and political affairs and counsel. — The National Association of Broadcasters promoted Alex Siciliano to senior vice president of communications, succeeding Ann Marie Cumming, who announced this week that she was leaving the trade association after more than two decades. — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure has tapped Benjamin Dierker as its next executive director. He was previously a researcher and public policy director with the alliance. — Kerry McLean, Intuit’s executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, has joined TechNet’s executive council. — Tom Jawetz is returning to the Center for American Progress’ immigration policy team as a senior fellow. He was previously deputy general counsel at DHS. — Joshua Thomas is joining Home Depot as senior manager for government relations leading outreach to Senate Dems. Thomas most recently worked as professional staff for House Homeland Security ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and is a Tammy Duckworth and Chris Murphy alum. — Spencer Anderson has joined Think Big as director of data and insights. He was most recently director of analytics at American Action Network and is a Data Trust alum. — Brendan Peter has joined SecurityScorecard as vice president of global government relations. He previously served as vice president of government relations at Socure and is an IDEMIA and CA Technologies alum. — Miriam Goldstein has joined the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality as director of ocean policy. She was previously a senior director and senior fellow for conservation policy at the Center for American Progress. — Alexis Lasselle Ross has joined Pallas Advisors as a principal. She was previously with General Dynamics. — Elisabeth Coats will be director of the Homeownership Alliance at the National Community Stabilization Trust. She previously was director of policy and advocacy at the National NeighborWorks Association.
| | | DelBene Democratic Majority Fund (Rep. Suzan DelBene, EVERGREEN PAC, DCCC)
DVO Victory Fund (Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Republican Party Of Wisconsin, NRCC)
| | | Conservative PAC of America (Super PAC)
Constitutional Conservatives Fund (Super PAC)
Pac 4 A Blue Congress (Hybrid PAC)
Timber PAC (Leadership PAC: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez)
Voices of Reason Fund, Inc. (Super PAC)
| | New Lobbying Registrations | | Acg Advocacy: Printing United Alliance
Ardent Strategies: Low Carbon Fuels Coalition
Barnes & Thornburg, LLP: City Of Keller, Texas
Capitol Venture LLC: Patientrightsadvocate.Org Inc
Forbes-Tate: Ds Admiral Bidco, LLC
Forbes-Tate: Maps Public Benefit Corporation
Gkn Aerospace: Gkn Aerospace
Invariant LLC: National Apartment Association
Invariant LLC: Slingshot Aerospace
James Dykstra: City Of Norwalk, Ca
Jenkins Hill Consulting, LLC: Thorne Research
Lsn Partners, LLC: Moxion Power
New Century Government Affairs (F/K/A Terrence C. Wolfe): Key Innovative Solutions On Behalf Of Suwannee County School District
S-3 Group: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Agoa Ad-Hoc Coalition
Shumaker Advisors, LLC: Toledo Area Transit Authority
Summit Strategies Government Affairs LLC: Northwest Requirements Utilities
The Kpm Group Dc LLC: Praxis Precision Medicines
The Kpm Group Dc LLC: Soleno Therapeutics, Inc.
The Russell Group, Inc.: Alliance To End Hunger
The Russell Group, Inc.: Cbg Enterprises, Inc.
The Russell Group, Inc.: Central Valley Salinity Coalition, Inc.
The Russell Group, Inc.: Compeer Financial
The Russell Group, Inc.: Diageo North America, Inc.
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | Acg Advocacy: Veros Real Estate Solutions, LLC
Buckley LLP (Formerly Buckley Sandler LLP): Mortgage Bankers Association (Formerly Mortgage Bankers Association Of America)
Government Counsel, LLC: Akorn, Inc.
Great Point Strategies, LLC: Pharmacann
Invariant LLC: Aeroseal
Meridian Hill Strategies Formerly Known As Ernest C. Baynard Iv: Epigenomics Inc.
Meridian Hill Strategies Formerly Known As Ernest C. Baynard Iv: Tworx
Strategic Government Affairs: City Of Lumberton, North Carolina
The Russell Group, Inc.: National Milk Producers Federation
Thorn Run Partners: Zero Carbon Hydrogen Coalition (Informal)
Timothy Lovain: Crossroads Strategies LLC Obo Washington State Department Of Transportation
Timothy Lovain: Crossroads Strategies, LLC On Behalf Of Port Of Everett | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
