FIRST IN PI — CHAMBER ADDS A BAYOU LINK: Former Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Stephen Waguespack is joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a special counsel, giving the business lobby a new inroad to a congressional delegation that quickly consolidated power over the last few months of 2023. — Waguespack, who finished third in last year’s Louisiana jungle primary for governor, is the longtime former head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state’s largest business group. He also has ties to D.C., doing stints in the office of former Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and at the lobbying firm Alpine Group. He also served as chief of staff to former Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.). — At the Chamber, he’ll work with the group’s leadership team on special projects related to his areas of expertise, like energy and insurance, legal reform, labor, small business and state-level advocacy, the organization said. MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES PUSH TO UNWIND JOINT EMPLOYER RULE: A trio of groups representing minority business owners joined the industry push for Congress to overturn the Biden administration’s new joint employer rule. — The rule, which was set to go into effect last month before the NLRB delayed its implementation by 60 days, is already the target of a lawsuit by a coalition of business groups who argue that it would “cripple small businesses” and hurt employment and wage growth. But a separate effort on the Hill would overturn the new rule with a simple majority vote in both chambers through the Congressional Review Act. — “We believe this rule could particularly impact minority-owned small businesses and franchisees that rely on [business-to-business contracts] to sustain and grow their businesses,” the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, U.S. Black Chambers Inc. and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter to lawmakers Wednesday, urging lawmakers to support the CRA resolution. GRIECO’S NEW FIRM: Twitter D.C. alum Lauren Culbertson Grieco has launched The Ledyard Group, a consultancy that will offer political strategy and advocacy advice as well as help with government investigations and crisis management. — Grieco previously served as head of government affairs and public policy for the U.S. and Canada for Twitter, and before that was a Senate spokesperson and ran a consultancy helping Silicon Valley unicorns like Twilio establish stand up offices in the nation’s capital. She’s remaining with Blue Owl Group, the firm led by fellow Twitter D.C. alum Colin Crowell, as a senior adviser. DREAMING OF DOHA: “When Senator Robert Menendez arrived in Qatar in 2022 to attend the country’s lavish production of the men’s soccer World Cup, he gave an unusual interview to the authoritarian government’s news agency praising the progress that Qatar had made on labor rights,” The New York Times’ Vivian Nereim and Tariq Panja report. — “The tiny Gulf state was facing an onslaught of international criticism over its preparations for the world’s biggest sporting event … But Mr. Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he preferred to highlight positive aspects of the games, and the host nation.” Now, Menendez is charged with taking bribes of cash, gold and luxury goods in exchange for wielding his influence to benefit the governments of Qatar and Egypt. — “While the indictment does not accuse the Qatari government or the Qatari royal family member of illegal activity, it is the latest in a line of cases in which Qatar, a major natural gas exporter, has appeared to seek greater influence in the United States and Europe by forging relationships with powerful government officials, or people connected to them.” A BLAST FROM THE PAST: The Wall Street Journal’s Jack Gillum and Kate O’Keeffe report that “China and Saudi Arabia topped a list of 20 countries whose governments or state-linked entities pumped millions of dollars into Donald Trump’s properties while he was president, according to a new report and previously undisclosed records that shed light on Trump’s potential business conflicts as he seeks a second term.” — “Public documents and internal financial records obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee and seen by The Wall Street Journal showed that countries spent lavishly at Trump’s hotels in Washington and Las Vegas. They also shelled out for payments at his New York properties, spending a total of at least $7.8 million during his time in office.” — “The Chinese government and entities linked to it spent more than $5.5 million, or nine times that of Saudi Arabia, the next biggest spender, according to the report published Thursday by the panel’s Democratic minority. It argued that the foreign payments identified are ‘likely only a small fraction’ of the true total because of incomplete disclosures.” TEAMSTERING UP?: “After huddling privately with former President Donald Trump, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said late Wednesday that the Republican primary frontrunner will meet with union members at its headquarters later this month,” our Nick Niedzwiadek reports. “The union backed President Joe Biden in 2020 but is undertaking a more wide-ranging endorsement process this year.” CLOSING TIME: The Qatar America Institute for Culture, which aimed to expose Qatari and broader Middle Eastern culture to an American audience, is shutting down, Daniel reports. "We have been privileged to host hundreds of events and exhibitions, featuring a dynamic array of creatives, artists, scholars, and storytellers from the United States, Qatar and the larger Arab and Islamic world," Executive Director Fatima Al-Dosari said in an email announcing the closure. — An accompanying statement said that among the achievements were the creation of D.C.'s first Perfumery Museum, the IMPART artist grant program and the Arab Film House, which is a joint initiative with the Doha Film Institute. The email and statement did not give a reason for the closure except to say: "The decision was realized through the fulfillment of goals achieved through its wide-ranging outreach."
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