With Daniel Lippman, James Bikales FIRST IN PI — RESOLUTE LOBBYISTS LAND AT PORTER WRIGHT: Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, a Columbus-based law and lobbying firm, has snapped up four of the lobbyists who were impacted last year when Illinois-based Resolute Public Affairs abruptly laid off its D.C. office. — Porter Wright is adding Raul Alvillar, a former New Mexico state director for President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign; Todd Elmer, a former White House advance lead for first lady Jill Biden and an AI lobbying veteran; Neil Simon, a former journalist and comms operative and Adam Wilczewski, a Commerce Department alum, as principals. — Combined with three new hires last year, Porter Wright’s D.C. office has more than doubled since 2022. The firm has not registered to lobby for any federal clients since 2018, when it stopped lobbying for the real estate investment company UMH Properties. SENATE RATCHETS UP SPAT WITH PIF: The bipartisan heads of the Senate subcommittee investigating the U.S. business dealings of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund have accused the Public Investment Fund of “unprecedented” stonewalling, escalating their criticism of the fund. — “The Subcommittee has been examining the extent to which foreign powers may be using commerce within the United States as a tool of foreign influence — an inquiry squarely within Congress’s and PSI’s jurisdiction,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Homeland Security Investigations Subcommittee, wrote in a letter to the head of the fund this week. — “Issuing subpoenas to U.S. businesses in furtherance of a legitimate Congressional inquiry is a common investigative practice,” Blumenthal and Johnson added. The letter responds to a request by lawyers for the fund earlier this month that the panel “reconsider” its efforts to enforce subpoenas of the fund’s paid consultants. — The senators went on to note that the subpoenas, issued in November to McKinsey & Company, M. Klein & Co., Boston Consulting Group, and Teneo Strategy, came only after repeated attempts by their subcommittee to get information about PIF’s business dealings in the U.S., sparked by the deal between PIF-financed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. — Those attempts were met with shifting explanations by PIF, which in November went to court in Saudi Arabia seeking to prevent the firms from producing documents demanded in the subpoenas, according to Blumenthal and Johnson. The senators are asking PIF’s lawyers provide a memo “explaining the legal bases” for its noncompliance, “with appropriate citations to U.S. law and relevant, established precepts of international law.” Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI. Send lobbying tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on the platform formerly known as Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. TAKING A PAGE OUT OF THE SAUDI PLAYBOOK: “Chinese provincial and city leaders have for decades appealed to their American counterparts to try to create investment and trade opportunities. Those efforts, stalled during the coronavirus pandemic, are ramping up again — with newfound gusto,” The Washington Post’s Lily Kuo and Cate Cadell report. — “Chinese officials are seizing on opportunities to forge ties with mayors and other local American leaders, the kinds of connections that give Beijing leverage against an increasingly hostile government in Washington.” — “The United States’ relationship with China is at its worst since the two countries agreed to officially recognize each other more than 45 years ago, although there have been recent efforts to stabilize relations. Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s bid for global dominance means that, more than ever, Beijing is seen by Washington as a threat to the country’s national security and economy.” — “With Xi’s encouragement, leaders outside the Beltway are the next target of Chinese efforts to win friends and influence in the United States. But during a sensitive election year these friendships will be hard to come by as American leaders are wary of being seen as too close to China.” WHO’S FUNDRAISING FOR HOUSE DEMS: Two of K Street’s top lobbying firms are opening their wallets to host fundraisers for House Democrats as they seek to win back control of the chamber later this year. More than a dozen Democratic lobbyists at Invariant are slated to hold a reception and dinner at the beginning of March to benefit the DCCC, according to an invite obtained by PI. — The fundraiser, hosted by Paul Arcangeli, Maia Hunt Estes, Noah Kowalski, Anne MacMillan, Heather Podesta, Eric Rosen, Mary Beth Stanton, Nicole Venable, Ben Klein, Annabell McWherter, Ashley O'Sullivan, Joel Richard and Quincy Enoch of Invariant, will feature appearances by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Steven Horsford(D-Nev.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.). — Tickets will start at $5,000 to get in the door for both PACs and individuals, with the option for the former to be named a host for $15,000 and an option for the latter to be named a host for $41,300, according to the invite. — Meanwhile Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck hosted its annual fundraising dinner for the DCCC at the Conrad last night. Among those spotted at the dinner, per a tipster: Jeffries, DelBene, Clark, Meeks and Horsford, Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Susan Wild (D-Pa.) and Norm Brownstein, Nadeam Elshami, Zach Pfister, David Reid, LaKeitha Anderson, Lexi Anicama, Mimi Burke, Annmarie Conboy-DePasquale, Steve Demby, Joel Herberman, Elsa Jacobsen, Daniel Joseph, Michael Levy, Drew Littman, Alice Lugo, Mark Pryor, Zach Marshall, John Menges, Radha Mohan, Al Mottur, David Ransom, Rob Robilliard, Gabrielle Russo, Sage Schaftel, Mike Stratton, Russ Sullivan, Greg Sunstrum, Deema Tarazi, Andrew Usyk and Gloria Walker of Brownstein. GOP PROBES NONPROFIT WITH CHINA LINKS: Three GOP committee chairs on Monday launched a probe into Energy Foundation China, a U.S.-based nonprofit that primarily funds clean energy projects in China and is headed by a former Chinese government official, our friends over at Morning Energy report. The chairs of the House Energy and Commerce, Science and Natural Resources committees are more interested, however, in the organization’s work within the United States. — Chairs Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) wrote that they were “alarmed” by the nonprofit’s “substantial funding to other organizations seeking to shape United States energy policy,” including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Institute. GOP lawmakers have previously sought to tie those two groups to China. — The lawmakers requested information and documents from Energy Foundation China on its funding to American organizations and its relationship to another nonprofit, the U.S. Energy Foundation. The U.S. Energy Foundation and Energy Foundation China operated as a single entity until 2019, according to the latter’s website. — Vance Wagner, vice president for strategic partnerships at Energy Foundation China, said in a statement that the organization does not “receive any funding from or make any grants to governments or political parties.” It is registered in California and has been working in China since 1999 to “support policy research, capacity building, and international collaboration to address energy, environment, and climate challenges,” Wagner added. — Bob Deans, NRDC’s strategic engagement director, said in a statement that the grant from Energy Foundation China was used “exclusively for work to help China cut its carbon footprint, not for U.S. advocacy or litigation.” The U.S. Energy Foundation and RMI did not provide comment. FLYING IN: The North American Blueberry Council is in town this week with more than 40 blueberry growers and other representatives from the blueberry industry. Blueberry representatives were slated to meet today with officials at USDA, the Labor Department and USTR, and tomorrow they’re set to hear from Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and meet with 46 other offices, including member-level meetings with Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
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| — Jo Maney has been promoted to chief of marketing and engagement at BGR Group. She’ll remain a principal in BGR's public relations practice and the president of the BGR Foundation. — Sarah Bianchi is rejoining Evercore ISI as a senior managing director and chief strategist of international political affairs and public policy, per Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook. She’s currently deputy U.S. trade representative for Asia and Africa. She will also be joining the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, where she will serve as a distinguished visiting fellow. — Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls is now executive director of The Next 50. — Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist have joined the advisory board of Communities United, a Democratic super PAC that is mobilizing Black, Latino, AAPI and younger voters to protect the Senate majority and take back the House this year. — Sarah-Lloyd Stevenson, senior manager within public policy at Amazon, has been named chair of the American Telemedicine Association’s policy council. — Patrick Wolf is joining the Motion Picture Association as senior vice president and chief accounting officer. He was previously chief financial officer at Cinq Music Group. — Jennifer Thibodeau will be managing director of safety and regulatory policy at the Cargo Airline Association. She previously was senior attorney in DOT’s Office of the General Counsel. — Gonzalo Gonzalez-Roman is now a public affairs specialist for theater outreach with U.S. Army Europe and Africa, per Morning Defense. He was previously a strategic communications associate at Booz Allen Hamilton. — Lauren Zelt is now executive director for Maggie’s List, which supports conservative women running for federal office, per Morning Score. Zelt is a Chris Christie, Mitt Romney and Kelly Ayotte alum. — Niambé Tomlinson is the new press secretary at HUD. She previously served as senior director of communications for the National Urban League and is a Kirsten Gillibrand and House Office of Diversity and Inclusion alum. — Stephen Cobb is joining the State Department as a press officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He previously was a director at Subject Matter. — The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society announced several changes to its board of directors and staff: Revati Prasad is now vice president of programs, Drew Garner recently joined as director of policy engagement and Juan Sepulveda has joined the board of directors, per Morning Tech. — Frederico Bartels is now a senior analyst and writer at the public service research institute ANSER. Bartels was previously with Pantheon Integrated Solutions. — Kathy Paro is joining the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association as vice president of strategic execution and partnerships. She’s currently managing partner and founder of Stratagem Consulting Partners.
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