| | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | Presented by CVS Health | With Daniel Lippman K STREET REMEMBERS DOLE: Bob Dole, the former Senate Republican leader, presidential candidate and war hero who became a lobbyist following his time in office, died Sunday at 98 following a nearly yearlong battle with lung cancer. "We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, Senator Bob Dole," Alston & Bird, the law and lobbying firm where Dole worked for the past nearly two decades, wrote in a post on its website. Dole, the firm said, "was one of the most respected voices inside and outside of Washington on issues ranging from health care to veterans affairs to foreign policy. He will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege to know him." — Dole's long and distinguished political career also means he has a constellation of former staffers on K Street, several of whom recounted his generosity and sense of humor to PI. "He just always thought of every person," Chris Cushing, who runs the Washington office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough , said, recalling that at the end of Dole's 1988 run for president, Dole insisted on making sure staffers — even young ones like himself — were paid when the campaign was determining what outstanding debts it had. — Cushing remembered another time that Dole couldn't get past his security on Governors Island in New York because Elizabeth Dole, then the Transportation secretary, was meeting with President Ronald Reagan. Instead, the senator chatted up passersby on a bench, joking that "I can't get by, because my wife is much more important than I am … so we're just gonna sit here and say hello." — Mitch Rose, now the top lobbyist for Comcast , remembered that in 1985 when he was a "lowly press assistant," Dole called him into the office and gave him a $500 raise to buy a winter coat after seeing Rose walking through the snow into the office several times. "The next time he saw me, I still didn't have a coat on," Rose said in an email. Dole asked about the raise, and "I replied I'm from Alaska and didn't really need a coat. He laughed and said he would have done the same thing," Rose said. "He was my first boss in DC and was a great man. I was a very junior player and he took the time to notice me and lend a hand. You never forget those kinds of things." — Mark Scanlan of the Independent Community Bankers America recalled traveling back to Kansas with Dole and being "impressed by the warmth of the relationships he had with so many Kansans, which had obviously been formed over many years," chalking it up to Dole's knack for "making these friends feel appreciated and respected." — "One of my favorite memories was when we first opened/christened the Dole Institute at KU, the inaugural speaker was Bill Clinton (who waived his hefty speaking fee for his friend Bob Dole)," Cameron Lynch, now a lobbyist for Fresenius Medical Care North America , told PI. After taking the former president on a tour, Lynch said, Clinton told his onetime rival, "Well Bob, you have really led some life," to which Dole shot back: "Thanks, Mr. President. Some time in the White House would have really capped it off." — Tom Synhorst, founder of the DCI Group, said in a post on the firm's website that during Dole's final run for president in 1996, when Synhorst feared for his job with the campaign because protesters took umbrage with gay staffers like himself, Dole "dismissed the protestors as 'nitwits' and told me not to take my eye off the ball." Synhorst added that "it clearly had never even occurred to him to jettison me. I'll forever be grateful for his kindness and his confidence in me — especially when other politicians would have cut and run." — Jay Timmons, now head of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement that he appreciated Dole's "wisdom and insight" when Timmons ran the NRSC. He remembered Dole as "a moral compass for the party, as ready to take a principled stand as he was to extend a hand across the aisle," and argued that "to truly honor him … we must do more than mourn his passing. We must renew our commitment to strengthening our nation and protecting the democracy for which he fought throughout his life." Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 38 million tests and given 43 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more. | | | MANCHIN STAFFER RETURNS TO K STREET: Norfolk Southern has hired Phil Hancock as director of government relations. Hancock most recently was a legislative assistant to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) following nearly a decade in Amtrak's D.C. office. Hancock, who will register to lobby, said in an interview he's eager to take on an "outstanding opportunity" helping find public policy solutions for a company that is "pretty ingrained into the culture of the people" in his native West Virginia — he noted that while he was growing up, there was a railroad for Norfolk Southern's predecessor in his front yard. Hancock previously worked in the offices of former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise and Secretary of State Ken Hechler, as well as the Obama administration and office of former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. DARLING JOINING NAVIGATORS: Brian Darling, a former top adviser to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), is joining the strategic communications arm of Navigators Global as a senior adviser for communications and strategic partner. Darling currently runs Liberty Government Affairs. — "Washington has changed over the years and targeted messaging has become almost as important as lobbying in terms of impacting federal policy," Darling said in a statement. "I believe that Navigators is best suited to aid clients in crafting and delivering a message to federal politicians that will help the client accomplish specific government relations goals." Darling, who served as counsel and communications director for Paul, is also a Heritage Foundation alum. K STREET TAKES AIM AT PBMs: "Lobbyists for drugmakers, pharmacists and large employers are blanketing Congress with calls, emails and advertisements, pressing lawmakers to rein in pharmaceutical middlemen, who they say are behind soaring drug costs," according to POLITICO's Megan Wilson , who reports that "the effort to paint pharmacy benefit managers as villains has sparked a multimillion-dollar campaign to influence Democrats, who are racing to finish their massive social spending bill and eager to show they are taking on the powerful drug industry and lowering out-of-pocket costs for Americans." — "Pretty much everyone in the supply chain is pointing at the PBMs right now," Karry La Violette, the senior vice president of government affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association, told Megan — though there is little agreement among PBM opponents about what actions Congress should take. — "PBMs have responded with their own lobbying and advertising blitz, and insist they're being scapegoated. JC Scott, who leads the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association , the trade group for PBMs, said targeting his members might be good politics and take the focus off drugmakers during a critical moment in the debate, but it would not lower drug costs." — "Independent pharmacists and their patients have sent Congress thousands of letters at the behest of the National Community Pharmacists Association, which in the coming days will unleash its own television ad campaign urging senators to rein in PBMs." IMMIGRATION GROUPS PREP FOR GOP CONGRESS: "Two leading immigration groups — the New American Economy and the American Immigration Council — are merging, in part, to prepare for a potential Republican takeover of Congress," per Axios' Stef W. Kight. "Pro-immigrant groups have gained influence in recent years through their advocacy and litigation — especially during the Trump era. A possible return to legislative power by the GOP would require more clout, the two groups say. — "'It's rare that nonprofits merge, but it shouldn't be,' said Jeremy Robbins, who served as executive director of New American Economy and will retain that title in the new group. NAE is an immigration think tank founded over a decade ago by Michael Bloomberg. 'I believe our field needs to evolve, and that it's time to reimagine our work in a way that helps us best serve newcomers while rebuilding a bipartisan and constructive case for what immigration means for America.'" IF YOU MISSED IT OVER THE WEEKEND: "The libertarian political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, which is backed by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, has been rocked by an alleged extramarital affair involving a departing leader, as well as an exodus of key network donors while the organization undergoes major changes," CNBC's Brian Schwartz reports. — "This week, Tim Phillips announced he was resigning as president of Americans for Prosperity after 15 years at the helm, citing what he called 'challenging personal matters.' Phillips is said to have had what's described as an extramarital affair with a Virginia-based Republican official, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These people declined to be named in order to speak freely about a private matter." — "AFP's controversies aren't limited to the departure of Phillips and some donors. Last year, former AFP official Anna Beavon Gravely sued the group in North Carolina state court for gender discrimination, retaliation and wrongful discharge. A spokesman for AFP said that the two parties settled the lawsuit amicably. … Gravely claimed that she did not get a promotion to North Carolina state director in 2018 despite her clear qualifications for the job, which was given to a man with less experience, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by CNBC. Gravely was eventually fired by the same man who got the job she was gunning for, the suit says." | | | | A message from CVS Health: .png "Advertisement Image")  | | | | | | — Tom O'Donnell has formed O'Donnell Advocacy Solutions and signed infrared material and sensor developer company EPIR as his first client. He was most recently senior vice president of government affairs and public policy at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. — Elbridge Colby is joining American Global Strategies as a senior adviser. He previously was a senior adviser at WestExec Advisors and is a DoD alum. — Jordan Burris is joining Socure as senior director of product market strategy and public sector. He most recently was chief of staff in the White House Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer.
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| | | Becker Victory Committee (Becker for Congress, Honey Badger PAC, Nevada Republican Central Committee)
FOUNDING FATHERS VICTORY FUND (Reps. Jeff Duncan, Randy Feenstra, Lance Gooden, Debbie Lesko, Ralph Norman, Guy Reschenthaler, Mike Rogers, Jason Smith; Kat for Congress, Hern for Congress, Kat PAC, Jobs, Energy and our Founding Fathers PAC-JEFF PAC, Delivers PAC, Growing Our Own Dynamic Economy Now, Help Elect Republicans Now, Deliver. Excel. Believe. PAC, Conservative Opportunity Fund, RVF PAC, American Security PAC, Mr. Southern Missourian in the House PAC) | | | All in for Ohio (PAC)
COMMONWEALTH PRIORITIES PAC (PAC)
Liberty Utilities Coastal PAC (PAC)
United Coalition For Hip Hop Culture (Super PAC)
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| | New Lobbying Registrations | | Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Novus Capital Corporation Ii
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: The Archdiocese Of Boston
Cfm Strategic Communications (Conkling Fiskum & Mccormick): City Of Carlton
Cfm Strategic Communications (Conkling Fiskum & Mccormick): City Of Forest Grove
Foley & Lardner LLP: Lively
Forcepoint Federal LLC: Forcepoint Federal LLC
Id.Me, Inc.: Id.Me, Inc.
Invariant LLC: National Association Of Children's Hospitals
Mclarty Inbound LLC: Nitron Group LLC
Tiber Creek Group: Defending Democracy Together
Van Scoyoc Associates: Bennington College | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Sbl Strategies, LLC: Santa Rosa County, Fl | | A message from CVS Health: At CVS Health, we're more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring millions of Americans can access health care services. We're offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we're increasing remote access to mental health services. We're supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine. Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we're investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities. Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it's never out of reach for anyone. Healthier Happens Together. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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