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Presented by the American Property Owners Alliance: Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | Presented by |  | | | With Daniel Lippman INDIAN REFINER SEEKING HELP WITH SANCTIONS TAPS FORMER BIDEN AIDE: Reliance Industries, an Indian conglomerate and oil refiner, has retained a former Senate aide to President Joe Biden, Ankit Desai of ABI Associates. Desai will work as a subcontractor to Eversheds Sutherland, which Reliance has retained since 2019, and will lobby the administration to relax restrictions on companies receiving Venezeulan crude oil in exchange for diesel fuel, according to a disclosure filing. — Bloomberg News reported in January that officials from Reliance and oil giant Chevron were set to meet with State Department officials not long after Biden was sworn in, in an attempt to get the new administration to let up on restrictions on Venezuelan oil put in place during the Trump administration, though apparently those discussions weren’t fruitful. — “Reliance is basing its request to resume oil swaps on the argument that the operations do not provide cash to the Venezuelan government but rather help lessen the humanitarian crisis there,” Bloomberg’s Lucia Kassai wrote at the time. “Diesel is used in power generation, public transportation, agriculture and to deliver food and medicine.” — Desai worked for Biden in the Senate in 2005, before working as a fundraiser for now-Sen. Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) PAC and then heading to the private sector. He’s the first new lobbyist for Reliance since it hired Eversheds Sutherland’s Virginia Faulk and Jacob Dweck after not actively lobbying in Washington for the better part of a decade, according to lobbying disclosures. — The timing coincided with new sanctions on the state-run Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., handed down by the Trump administration as part of a renewed push to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office by choking off oil revenues. According to Bloomberg, “while some companies were still allowed to engage in limited dealings with the South American country,” crude-for-diesel swaps “were nixed last October.” BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE ADDS 2: Business Roundtable, one of the largest business lobbies in Washington, is adding new heft to its bench of outside lobbying firms. The Roundtable on Monday hired a team from Owen Evans Ingols to lobby on infrastructure development. Last month, it brought on Resolution Public Affairs, the firm founded by former Chuck Schumer aide Heather McHugh to lobby on Biden’s infrastructure proposal, the corporate tax rate and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260 (117), the bipartisan package aimed at countering China that was derailed late last week, according to newly filed disclosures. The trade group already retains a dozen other outside lobbying shops. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. It’s Global Running Day, so send your best recommendations for where you stay out of the heat while on runs in D.C. (Don’t worry, your uncrowded routes are safe with me!) Also send K Street tips and gossip: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | | | A message from the American Property Owners Alliance: The American Property Owners Alliance is a nonpartisan organization that protects the dream of property ownership. Backed by 10 million advocates, we are committed to expanding, amending, and introducing federal policy that protects property owners and their interests. June is National Homeownership Month, and we’re celebrating the value of home all month long. Learn more about our commitment to protecting the interests of a diverse group of property owners and expanding opportunities for future homeowners. | | | ALBRIGHT STONEBRIDGE GROUP TEAMS UP WITH DENTONS: Albright Stonebridge Group, the consulting firm co-founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (and which served as a staging ground of sorts for the Biden administration), is joining forces with Dentons, one of the world’s largest law firms, to form Dentons Global Advisors, a multidisciplinary advisory platform combining Albright Stonebridge’s advisory expertise with Dentons’ global reach and legal chops. — The new outfit is the “culmination of a dialogue that started five years ago” that picked up again last year, Albright Stonebridge managing principal Dan Rosenthal told PI. Dentons Global Advisors will be headed up by Ed Reilly, a senior adviser at Dentons (which will remain distinct from the new operation) who will serve as chief executive of DGA. — The partnership, Rosenthal said in an interview, is the recognition of a “more complex operating environment and geopolitical context” in the legal and consulting world, and the need “for clients to have the benefit of other experts at the table in addition to lawyers advising them — so people with background and in public sector and social sector and the private sector helping to kind of help their clients navigate new and more complex situations.” OUTSIDE PRO-BIDEN GROUP CALLS ON FACEBOOK TO REVIEW SPREAD OF ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS: A dark-money group formed by Biden allies and campaign advisers today “joined calls for Facebook to review whether its actions contributed to the spread of unfounded election fraud claims leading up to the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol,” POLITICO’s Cristiano Lima reports. The group, Build Back Together, “urged Facebook in a letter reviewed by POLITICO to commit to an internal probe of the matter, something the company's oversight board recommended last month.” — “Building Back Together senior adviser for voting rights Bob Bauer, who advised Biden’s presidential campaign and served in the Obama White House, called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to make ‘an unequivocal commitment to the complete and public review suggested by the Oversight Board,’” arguing that failing to do so “would undermine the credibility of the board, a group of 20 outside experts that Facebook tapped to make the final call on some of the company's thorniest content moderation decisions.” — “A Facebook spokesperson said Tuesday that the company will respond to the oversight board’s call for a review of its handling of election fraud claims as part of its formal reply to the panel’s recommendations. The company declined comment on the letter Wednesday.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | PhRMA RAN FACEBOOK, GOOGLE ADS OPPOSING TRIPS WAIVER: The drug lobby PhRMA “last month quietly launched a campaign against President Joe Biden and his decision to back waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines,” reports CNBC’s Brian Schwartz. Late last month the group, whose members include two of the three approved Covid vaccinemakers, “started running a digital ad campaign on Facebook and Google targeting Biden’s decision, a CNBC search of the companies’ ad archives revealed.” — “PhRMA’s ads on Google call out Biden by name,” and the search engine’s “ad archive shows that one of the ads on the search platform cost the group between $1,000 and $50,000. The other cost under $100,” with both buys targeting the D.C. area. “The Google ads link to articles written by PhRMA’s public affairs team and published on the group’s website.” — “One of the posts bears the headline: ‘The Biden Administration allows politics to upend a pragmatic pandemic response.’ The article claims that ‘not only will this policy do nothing to help save lives globally, it could have a damaging impact for American patients.’” — “Facebook’s ad library shows that PhRMA spent over $245,000 since late April and throughout May on digital spots. A fraction of that spending went toward ads that ran at the end of May taking aim at Biden’s decision.” MEDIAWATCH: The Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics, two of the biggest data nonprofits tracking money in politics at the federal and state levels, respectively, announced today that they will team up under the moniker OpenSecrets . “This merger brings together decades of expertise, massive data sets, and the kind of analysis that researchers, journalists, advocates and individuals rely on to understand the influence of spending on politics,” OpenSecrets Executive Director Sheila Krumholz, who previously led the Center for Responsive Politics, said in a statement. “At a time when our country is being tested, this is a good day for democracy.” | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — Harry Clapsis has joined Ampere Computing as director of government affairs. He was most recently manager of government affairs at the Semiconductor Industry Association. — Stephanie Stouffer joined the American Gas Association as the director of communications. She was previously at Phone2Action in corporate business development and APCO Worldwide as a digital strategy and advocacy consultant. — Alex McDonough is now a partner at Pioneer Public Affairs. He was most recently a principal at his eponymous advising firm and is a Sunrun, Harry Reid and Clean Energy for Biden alum. — Mary Bruce is now an associate director of the Peace Corps and head of its office of volunteer recruitment and selection. She most recently was executive director of BA Women's Alliance (formerly the B.A. Rudolph Foundation). — Keegan Bales is now an associate director at Finsbury Glover Hering (formerly Glover Park Group). She previously worked at Trident DMG. — Autonomous vehicle companies Aurora and Embark have joined the board of the Self-Driving Coalition, joining other top companies like Ford, Volvo and Waymo. | | | |   | | | | | | None. | | | Angry Democrats (Hybrid PAC)
Freedom vs Freedumb (Super PAC)
Guarding Against Pandemics PAC (Hybrid PAC)
V (PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Abi Associates: Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP On Behalf Of Reliance Industries Ltd.
Allina Health: Allina Health
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: Innova Medical Group
Ballard Partners: Doordash, Inc.
Bridge Public Affairs, LLC: Chattanooga Professional Baseball, LLC
Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC: Virtra Inc
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Atlas Power Holdings, LLC
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Executive Affiliates, Inc.
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Raven Sr, LLC
Capitol Solutions, LLC (Dc): Ducks Unlimited
Capitol Solutions, LLC (Dc): Hydraulic Institute
Capitol Solutions, LLC (Dc): Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Capitol Solutions, LLC (Dc): The Clark Estates
Capitol Solutions, LLC (Dc): Vinyl Institute
Commonwealth Consulting Partners: Mansmann Foundation
Dci Group, L.L.C.: En+ Group, Ipjsc
Franklin Square Group, LLC: Landed, Inc.
Genesis Air Mobility LLC: Genesis Air Mobility LLC
High Street Strategies LLC: Aleut Community Of St. Paul Island
Holland & Knight LLP: City Of El Paso, Tx
Impact Management Group: Arkansas Research Alliance
Kearney, Donovan & Mcgee: Commonwealth Zoological Corporation
Monument Advocacy: Ihs Markit D/B/A R.L. Polk & Co.
Nicherapport LLC: Great Plains Institute
Nicherapport LLC: Nuclear Innovation Alliance
Nicherapport LLC: Styrene Information And Research Center
Owen Evans Ingols: Business Roundtable
Owen Evans Ingols: Consortium Management Group
Owen Evans Ingols: Westerman, Inc.
Republic Consulting, LLC: Capewell Aerial Systems LLC
Resolution Public Affairs, LLC: Alliance For Trade Enforcement
Resolution Public Affairs, LLC: American Museum Of Natural History
Resolution Public Affairs, LLC: Bd (Becton, Dickinson And Company)
Resolution Public Affairs, LLC: Business Roundtable
Signal Group Consulting, LLC: Gopher Resource
Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC: Applied Dna Sciences, Inc.
Versant Strategies LLC (Formerly Known As Wolff Strategies, LLC.): Feeding Pennsylvania
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Clark Street Associates On Behalf Of Fungible Inc. | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Fulcrum Public Affairs LLC: Washington Football Team
Ms. Carol Browner: Covington And Burling, LLP On Behalf Of Sk Innovation Co., Ltd.
Susan Stohr: Village Of Rockville Centre
The Mckeon Group, Inc.: 7 Cups Of Tea, Co.
Vantageknight, Inc.: Raytheon Company | | | | A message from the American Property Owners Alliance: Property ownership is essential for strengthening communities. At 10 million advocates strong, the American Property Owners Alliance is committed to expanding federal policies that support homeownership. We are a nonpartisan ally who provides the information you need to make informed policy decisions that protect current owners and remove barriers to homeownership.
During National Homeownership Month in June, we are empowering current and aspiring homeowners to advocate for policies that address the unique challenges faced by homeowners. Learn more about our efforts to protect the dream of property ownership. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
