Crocs come to K Street

From: POLITICO Influence - Wednesday Jun 07,2023 10:22 pm

Jun 07, 2023

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With Daniel Lippman

CROCS LOBBIES UP: Crocs, which makes the foam clogs that have become ubiquitous among Gen Z-ers in recent years, has hired its first federal lobbyists amid the resurgence in business. The shoemaker retained Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer in April to lobby on intellectual property infringement, according to newly filed disclosures.

— For now, the firm is making introductions for Crocs around town to educate lawmakers on the company, which is looking for a presence in the nation’s capital as a result of its growth. “As they've gotten bigger, their interactions with the government have gotten more complex,” Marne Marotta, who is leading the account for Arnold & Porter, told PI.

— And like other retailers that have lobbied fiercely for a crackdown on counterfeits writ large, “certainly knockoff products are a problem that they deal with, intellectual property issues are very important to them — it's the crux of their product,” she said.

BALLARD OPENS AN AFRICAN OUTPOST: Ballard Partners is putting down roots in Africa, opening its first office in the continent in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. Lai Mohammed, who previously served as Nigeria’s minister of information and culture, will be managing partner in the office and of a satellite office in Lagos.

— The new office is just the firm’s third outside of the U.S., joining outposts in Tel Aviv and Istanbul, and expands the firm’s footprint to three continents. The firm currently lobbies for the Liberian government and government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and has represented Zimbabwe’s government in the past, but the firm also lobbies for one of the continent’s largest cellphone providers, and the continent is “probably one of the top areas of growth for companies doing international work,” founder Brian Ballard said in an interview.

— He told PI that Mohammed’s hire was a major factor in the firm’s decision to set up shop in Nigeria, as well as the country’s role as a “top economic” center within Africa. He added that the race to undercut China’s dominance of the rare earth mineral sector amid a global electrification push provides an “almost unlimited amount of opportunity for us” on the continent.

Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Send K Street tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

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ALTMAN’S CHARM OFFENSIVE: “Weeks after OpenAI released its ChatGPT chatbot last year, Sam Altman, the chief executive of the artificial intelligence start-up, launched a lobbying blitz in Washington,” The New York Times’ Cecilia Kang reports.

— “He demonstrated ChatGPT at a breakfast with more than 20 lawmakers in the Capitol. He called for A.I. to be regulated in private meetings with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders. In all, Mr. Altman has discussed the rapidly evolving technology with at least 100 members of Congress, as well as with Vice President Kamala Harris and cabinet members at the White House, according to lawmakers and the Biden administration.”

— It was quite the change of pace: “Technology chief executives have typically avoided the spotlight of government regulators and lawmakers. It took threats of subpoenas and public humiliation to persuade Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Sundar Pichai of Google to testify before Congress in recent years.”

— “But Mr. Altman, 38, has run toward the spotlight, seeking the attention of lawmakers in a way that has thawed icy attitudes toward Silicon Valley companies. He has initiated meetings and jumped at the opportunity to testify in last month’s Senate hearing. And instead of protesting regulations, he has invited lawmakers to impose sweeping rules to hold the technology to account.”

— “His charm offensive has put him in an important seat of influence. By engaging with lawmakers early, Mr. Altman is shaping the debate on governing A.I. and educating Washington on the complexities of the technology, especially as fears of it grow.”

LIVE EVENTS COALITION RELEASES TICKETING PROPOSAL: Fix the Tix, one of the newest coalitions formed this year to push for an overhaul of the live events ticket marketplace, is out with its framework of proposed reforms. The group is an alliance of industry trade groups that includes the National Independent Venue Association, National Independent Talent Organization, the Recording Academy, the Recording Industry Association of America and more than two dozen others.

— The coalition has been meeting weekly for months to craft its framework, NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker told PI. Parker added that the groups believe they’ve put together a detailed proposal intended to serve as the blueprint for bipartisan legislation that could make it to President Joe Biden’s desk, and would not only benefit the events industry but artists and consumers and also be reasonably enforceable.

— “All of the other principles that have been released have been topline and they've been helpful,” Parker said, “but I think where we differentiate ourselves is that we have worked for months to come together around the actual substantive details that Congress can use to write a bill.” The coalition is working with offices on the Hill to introduce legislation by the end of summer, he said.

— The coalition came out strong last month against ticketing legislation reintroduced by Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), arguing that the bill legitimizes so-called speculative ticket sales by requiring that sales of tickets not actually owned by the seller are identified as such and that customers are entitled to a full refund for tickets they never receive.

— Doing so is only “empowering bad behavior,” Parker said, arguing it also doesn’t compensate customers if they’ve traveled for an event and “doesn't begin to compensate for the disappointment of not being able to get into a show with the ticket that they thought that they had.”

DEM OPPO GROUP TARGETS ANTI-ESG PUSH: The Democratic watchdog group Congressional Integrity Project, which relaunched last year to defend the Biden administration against the flurry of oversight investigations being launched by House Republicans, is beginning to broaden that mission to include rebutting conservatives’ crusade against the rise of ESG considerations.

— The dark money group run by Democratic strategists circulated a memo this week ahead of a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on the “Cascading Impacts of ESG Compliance” in which the Congressional Integrity Project blasted the hearing’s Republican witnesses as “extreme” and highlighted their ties to the fossil fuel industry.

— The memo also cited polling from a Democratic firm and climate group that found support for companies weighing climate and environmental factors in their decision making, and reporting on conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo’s support for targeting ESG investing that suggests anti-ESG backlash by Republicans has cost taxpayers.

— Republicans have made targeting ESG a “key piece of their economic agenda,” Kyle Herrig, CIP’s executive director, told PI of the group’s shift in focus. “It's critical that we push back against this harmful policy agenda and call it out for what it really is: a well-organized right-wing attack on businesses buoyed by far-right megadonors like Leo. As long as House Republicans continue to attack responsible investing, we'll continue to make sure Americans know the truth about their dangerous agenda."

GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.

UAE WHIFFS ON PLAN TO TOUT CLIMATE CHOPS: “One of the world’s wealthiest oil states is engaged in a wide-ranging public relations and lobbying campaign to cast itself as an environmental leader before it hosts the United Nations’ next climate talks in November,” our Corbin Hiar and Zack Colman report.

— “But the United Arab Emirates’ efforts are colliding with a barrage of criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists in both the U.S. and Europe, who scoff at the idea that the oil-flush nation is committed to helping shift the world off planet-heating fossil fuels.”

— “Amid the negative headlines, the UAE’s government has signed — and abruptly terminated — long-term contracts with at least two strategic communications firms, even as it offers fat pay packages to veteran PR executives to assist with the effort, according to interviews and Justice Department documents.”

— “The communications offensive, which began as far back as 2019, seeks to persuade U.S. officials and the American public that the Persian Gulf state’s plan to expand oil and gas drilling is compatible with international efforts to slash the use of fossil fuels — the main cause of rising temperatures worldwide.”

— “During the past decade, the UAE has spent more than $1 million on direct climate-focused advocacy and paid millions more to advisory firms and think tanks helping to polish its green credentials, an analysis by POLITICO’s E&E News of federal disclosure filings found. No other host nation has invested as much time and money to shape its image ahead of the annual climate negotiations.”

FLY-IN SZN: More fly-ins continue today with the Manufactured Housing Institute’s “Homes on the Hill” event. The group is set to discuss ways to increase the availability of manufactured housing financing with House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Reps. Blake Moore (R-Utah), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.) and Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

— Members of the American Financial Services Association, which represents the consumer credit industry, kicked off its fly-in today, which will include meetings with offices on the congressional financial services and armed services committees, as well as officials at CFPB and the FTC. Participants will include 1st Franklin Financial, Tidewater Finance Company, American Credit Acceptance, Republic Finance, CIG Financial, Citizens Savings and Loan, Brundage Management and Mariner Finance.

— The Health Industry Distributors Association is kicking off its fly-in today as well. The group is set to meet with more than 80 offices tomorrow about reauthorizing the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act and push for and fast-tracking medical supplies through U.S. ports. Distributors are slated to meet with multiple members of the Senate HELP and Commerce committees and the House Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure and Ways and Means panels.

SPOTTED last night at a reception for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., per a tipster: Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Reps. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and John Moolenaar (R-Mich.).

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Jobs Report

— Ben Klein has joined Palantir’s government affairs team to lead its health and civil policy portfolios. He was most recently a principal at Invariant, where he co-chaired the health and energy practices.

— The Asia Group has hired David Hathaway as a principal to lead its China practice. He was most recently a senior vice president at Albright Stonebridge Group.

— TwinLogic Strategies has hired Matthew Plaster as a vice president. He most recently served as broadband policy adviser for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

— Jana Simon is now director of DEI at Milbank LLP. She most recently was chief DEI officer at Wiggin and Dana.

— ClearPath added Cheryl Lombard as senior program director for regulatory policy and advocacy, with a focus on permitting policy and Dana Faught as director of the Conservative Climate Leadership Program. Lombard was most recently president and CEO of Valley Partnership, and Faught was most recently director of student recruitment and alumni engagement for The Fund for American Studies.

— Kate Tavella has been promoted to be chief communications officer at Blank Rome.

— Jim Mulhern, the president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, will retire from his position at the end of the year, Morning Ag reports.

— David Dewhirst is joining the Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Presidential Transition Project as a senior consultant. He previously was a senior adviser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and is a Trump Commerce Department alum.

— Sahil Mehrotra is now press secretary for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). He previously was press secretary at Everytown for Gun Safety.

— Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs is now the senior director for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council. He was previously the Joint Staff surgeon at the Pentagon.

— Ben Cowlishaw is now speechwriter for the House Appropriations Committee Democrats. He most recently was a speechwriter at the National Association of Realtors and is a U.S. Travel Association alum.

New Joint Fundraisers

None.

New PACs

1863 PAC INC (Super PAC)
DonPepe (Super PAC)
Duty, Honor, Courage (Super PAC)
Unify PAC (Hybrid PAC)

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New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Crocs, Inc.
Council For Innovation Promotion (C4Ip): Council For Innovation Promotion (C4Ip)
Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLP: Hunts Point Cooperative Market, Inc.
Holland & Knight LLP: Clark Street Associates On Behalf Of Lattice Semiconductor
Holland & Knight LLP: The Little Potato Company
Holland & Knight LLP: U.S. Global Leadership Campaign
Ice Miller LLP: Global Accountability Corporation
Invariant LLC: Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.
Jeanne Merrill Consulting LLC: Ccof (Ca Certified Organic Farmers)
Marco Gonzales: Rhea Space Activity
Mindset Advocacy, LLC (Fka Cypress Advocacy, LLC): Sofi Technologies, Inc.
Putalastrategies: American Council Of Life Insurers
Steptoe & Johnson LLP: Coalition For The Life Sciences
The Gilfoyle Foundation Inc.: The Gilfoyle Foundation Inc.
The Roosevelt Group: Arizona State University
Torrey Advisory Group (Formerly Michael Torrey Associates, LLC): Good Food Institute
Venable LLP: Sutter Health

New Lobbying Terminations

None.

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