Blumenthal tees off on PIF, ropes in consultants

From: POLITICO Influence - Thursday Aug 17,2023 09:55 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

With Daniel Lippman

BLUMENTHAL BLASTS PIF, REQUESTS DOCS FROM CONSULTANTS: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is escalating his bid for details about Saudi Arabia’s business investments in the U.S., warning the head of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund on Wednesday that his patience is wearing thin with the fund’s attempts to filibuster an inquiry into its financing of a blockbuster deal to bring together former golf rivals LIV and the PGA Tour.

In a letter to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who oversees the Saudi Public Investment Fund that bankrolls LIV Golf, Blumenthal gave Al-Rumayyan the option to either testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Sept. 13 or propose, by tomorrow, an alternate date on which he could appear. “If you continue to refuse to comply voluntarily the Subcommittee will be forced to consider other legal methods to compel PIF’s compliance,” Blumenthal wrote.

— The ramped up rhetoric follows weeks of back-and-forth between PIF’s lawyers and Blumenthal’s staff in the lead up to, and aftermath of, July’s hearing with PGA Tour officials about the golf deal.

— While PIF initially cited “scheduling conflicts” that prevented Al-Rumayyan from testifying, in another letter earlier this month, Blumenthal said, PIF invoked Al-Rumayyan’s position as a foreign minister in the Saudi government, asserting that being “a minister bound by the Kingdom’s laws regarding the confidentiality of certain information” would make Al-Rumayyan “an inappropriate witness” for a public hearing on Saudi business investments and its efforts to leverage those for international influence.

— Blumenthal noted that a federal court in California had rejected a similar argument by the fund just this year as part of contentious, since-jettisoned litigation between the LIV and the PGA Tour. “PIF cannot have it both ways,” Blumenthal wrote. “If it wants to engage with the United States commercially, it must be subject to United States law and oversight. That oversight includes this Subcommittee’s inquiry.”

— Blumenthal moved to head off any offers from PIF to send another official to testify in Al-Rumayyan’s place or in lieu of turning over reams of requested records about PIF’s business dealings, communications with the PGA Tour, and its team of consultants, lobbyists, lawyers and PR professionals.

— But he also zeroed in on the fund’s roster of hired image professionals for the first time, firing off requests for documents to four firms that have worked alongside PIF on various strategic initiatives and the PGA Tour deal.

— “To assist the Subcommittee’s understanding of PIF’s future role in sports in the United States and its plans for investments in other U.S.-based entities,” Blumenthal asked the heads of Teneo, M. Klein & Company, Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Co. to turn over any documents detailing the firms’ work for PIF. In addition to those records, Blumenthal requested documents related to the fund’s U.S. current and potential commercial investments and initiatives — including those detailing the genesis of LIV Golf — by Sept. 6.

Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

 

GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.

 
 

MEANWHILE, IN CALIFORNIA: “The advertising industry has kicked off a campaign to kill a California bill that would make it easier for residents to request that data brokers delete their personal information,” POLITICO’s Alfred Ng reports.

— “A person who works in the California Legislature told POLITICO that multiple lawmakers received printouts credited to the Association of National Advertisers this week titled:

‘10 Reasons SB 362 Will Harm California’ and ‘Negative Real-World Impacts of California SB 362.’ The handouts warned that allowing people to delete their data en masse would hurt the government’s ability to prevent fraud and prevent hospitals from providing services.”

— “The email came from a representative at Interpublic Group, an advertising company that owns the data broker Acxiom. That message sought to set up a meeting with lawmakers to discuss the legislation.”

— “That email contained a link to a call to action website titled ‘No to SB 362’ and a digital version of the ANA documents. That campaign has no attribution noting who is behind it. But the language in the email and the documents attributed to ANA, which were all obtained by POLITICO, and the webpage are nearly identical. The ANA, which includes Amazon, Google and Meta, did not respond to a request for comment.”

— The bill “would allow California residents to make a single request to delete their data that goes to multiple companies” — making the state the first in the nation with that option. “Under California’s current data privacy laws, residents must contact companies like data brokers individually to make such requests.”

ANNALS OF OPPO RESEARCH: David McCormick hasn't announced another bid for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. In fact, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in early August that the Army veteran and former Bridgewater CEO, who narrowly lost the 2022 Republican Senate primary to Mehmet Oz, is ‘not in a rush’ to declare his candidacy to face off against incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and is ‘being cautious about the decision,’” The Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson writes.

— “Democratic opposition researchers? Not so much. They have hit the ground running in an effort to collect damaging information on the would-be GOP candidate in what is certain to be one of the most competitive Senate races of the 2024 cycle.”

— “One of those researchers, former 60 Minutes producer Marley Klaus Dowling, has set off both confusion and alarm bells among McCormick acquaintances, including current and former Bridgewater employees, leaving some with the false impression that she is a working journalist.”

— “Klaus Dowling, herself a Democratic donor and the founder of TBD Research, which raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2022 election cycle for research and strategic consulting, has appeared on these people's doorsteps—presenting herself, at various points, as a ‘fact-checker,’ according to one; as a researcher, according to another; and as a reporter, according to a third.”

— “Bridgewater, the world's largest hedge fund, makes headlines on a daily basis. It is not unusual for the firm's employees to receive media inquiries, and at least one of the people contacted was left with the impression that Klaus Dowling was working on a story or book about the firm. More unusual, however, is for a researcher or reporter to materialize unannounced on employees' doorsteps.”

IF YOU MISSED IT WEDNESDAY: UNICEF USAhired a new lobbying firm this week for the first time in over two decades, retaining a new team that includes the former chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” The Hill’s Taylor Giorno reports.

— “Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld registered to lobby on child welfare initiatives, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and federal appropriations on behalf of UNICEF USA, which advances UNICEF’s goal to help vulnerable children around the world.”

— “The lobbying team includes former Rep. ​Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who led the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 2011-13,” and who helped stand up PEPFAR during the Bush administration in 2003.

— “The new registration marks the first time since 1999 that UNICEF USA has retained new outside federal lobbying firepower, and it comes amid a notable downturn in the organization’s federal lobbying spending.”

— “Edington, Peel & Associates registered to lobby on behalf of UNICEF USA at the turn of the millennium to lobby on issues related to federal appropriations, and the firm has lobbied on funding for issues ranging from maternal and child health to iodine deficiency disorder in the years since.”

— “The firm reported receiving $20,000 from UNICEF USA during each of the first and second quarters of 2023, the same amount it received each quarter in 2022 and up from the $15,000 per quarter it reported receiving the previous year. UNICEF USA’s direct federal lobbying expenditures, on the other hand, dropped precipitously during the first six months of 2023.”

 

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Jobs Report

Scott Corwin is now president and CEO of the American Public Power Association. He was previously executive director of the Northwest Public Power Association.

— Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) is joining behavioral health firm Holmusk as a strategic adviser.

Jeremy Wiggins is now a vice president at Blackstone. He most recently was a portfolio analyst in the office of the president at the World Bank and is a Trump NEC alum.

Lauren Devoll is joining political AI startup Numinar as head of growth. She previously led global public policy partnerships at Twitter and is an RNC and NRCC alum.

Rani Williams is now a senior policy adviser at Clause Law PLLC. She previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and staff director for the Congressional Native American Caucus Dems.

Katie Price is now executive assistant at American Global Strategies. She most recently was an operations manager for the Trump Organization.

Frederick Bell is the new chairman of SigmaPAC 1914 and senior adviser for Dream for America. He was previously a senior associate at The Hub Project and is a Jaime Harrison alum.

Lilia Eisenstein has joined Simon & Co. as an associate. She was most recently a program assistant at the Institute of International Finance and is a Cornerstone Government Affairs and Cohen Group alum.

New Joint Fundraisers

Casey Fetterman Victory Fund (Sens. Bob Casey, John Fetterman, EVERY VOTE PAC, KEYSTONE AMERICA PAC, PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY)
Gallego Victory Fund (Rep. Ruben Gallego, Arizona Democratic Party, Latino Leaders For Equality, Growth, Opportunity, Progressive Action & Change (LLEGO-PAC))

New PACs

FAMILIES FOR A SAFER PRINCE WILLIAM (Super PAC)
Friends of the Shelby Fire Department (PAC)
Just Plead Guilty lil' Donnie--everybody already knows you did it (Super PAC)
SnoCo Citizens for New Leadership (PAC)

New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Ride Group LLC
Alliance For Regenerative Medicine: Alliance For Regenerative Medicine
Allied For Progress: Title Iv-A Coalition
Avis Budget Group, Inc.: Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Wolters Kluwer Health
Capital Park Partners LLC: Ultra Intelligence & Communications
Cormedix Inc.: Cormedix Inc.
Hill Strategy LLC: We The Investors
K&L Gates, LLP: Mormac Marine Group, Inc.
Maynard Nexsen Pc - Fka Maynard, Cooper & Gale, Pc: Cmh Services
Mehlman Consulting, Inc.: The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: One Cambodia
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Upfield U.S. Inc.
Pioneer Public Affairs: Lg Energy Solutions, Ltd.
Synopsys, Inc.: Synopsys, Inc.
The Brookmont Group LLC: Environmental Defense Fund Action
Venable LLP: Moser Energy Systems
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Victory Lane Aviation

New Lobbying Terminations

Boyagian Consulting, LLC: Association Of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
K&L Gates, LLP: Steelcase, Inc.

 

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