| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | Presented by Senior Living Advocacy – Tell Our Stories | With Josh Gerstein and Daniel Lippman WHITE HOUSE ISSUES ETHICS WAIVER FOR FORMER CUNA LOBBYIST: The Biden administration has issued a waiver of its ethics rules governing former lobbyists for Elizabeth Eurgubian , who was tapped to lead the National Credit Union Administration's Office of External Affairs & Communications. Prior to joining the Biden administration, Eurgubian spent more than half a decade as a lobbyist at the Credit Union National Association, which represents credit unions. She is listed on lobbying disclosures as lobbying her new employer — the industry's regulator — as recently as the final quarter of 2021. — Ethics rules put in place by President Joe Biden after he was sworn in last year bar certain officials, such as former lobbyists or consultants, from participating in matters relating to a former employer, client or lobbied agency for two years. But Elizabeth Fischmann, the NCUA's chief ethics counsel, said in a Feb. 14 memo that the government's "critical need" for Eurgubian's services, drawing on her "broad and deep knowledge of the credit union industry" and "communications skills and expertise necessary to properly advise the NCUA leadership" necessitated that some of the ethics rules be waived for Eurgubian. — In her role, Eurgubian will provide advice to NCUA's leaders on "on policy, legislative and public affairs issues of importance to the work" of the agency, and will serve as an NCUA liaison to other executive branch departments and federal agencies, according to Fischmann's memo. The waiver will allow Eurgubian to participate in any particular matter on which she lobbied for CUNA within the two years before her appointment, and in specific issue areas in which that particular matter falls. — The Biden administration has issued roughly two dozen ethics waivers in just over a year, according to copies of the documents posted by the Office of Government Ethics. However, its waivers for former lobbyists have have been issued to those who represented various public interest advocacy groups or labor organizations, rather than corporate lobbyists or lobbyists from large, multi-client firms — a distinction that for the most part has led to ethics watchdogs holding their fire. — Fischmann's memo also attempts to distinguish Eurgubian's previous advocacy on behalf of a trade association, even one on behalf of financial institutions she is now working to regulate. Fischmann argues that Eurgubian's "prior lobbying activity for a nonprofit trade association is not the type of business-oriented, prior client relationship the Executive Order intended to reach in protecting the public trust." The memo adds that "while at CUNA, Ms. Eurgubian lobbied for CUNA on a broad range of issues. However, she did not lobby on behalf of individual paying clients." Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send lobbying tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | A message from Senior Living Advocacy – Tell Our Stories: Throughout the darkest days of the pandemic, workers in senior care communities have shown up and provided care and support to our nation's most vulnerable individuals. Now, seemingly forgotten, those who continue to work in senior care are in the fight of their lives to keep the nation's health care system afloat amid the worst staffing shortages among ALL health care providers nationwide. It's time for Washington to fund senior care. Learn more at tellourstories.org/no-relief | | | FEDS ALLEGE STRAW DONOR CASH ORIGINATED IN UAE: Prosecutors preparing for a trial of two men on charges of illegally funneling more than $5 million to U.S. political committees, including one backing Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, alleged publicly Tuesday that the money originated with the United Arab Emirates, per our Josh Gerstein. — "The facts are this money came from the UAE Government," Justice Department Public Integrity Section prosecutor Michelle Parikh said at a hearing Tuesday morning before U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C. — A grand jury indictment filed in 2019 accused eight men of conspiring to violate U.S. campaign finance laws by using straw donors to make donations before and after the 2016 election. Among those charged was a wealthy online payments entrepreneur, Andy Khawaja, and a longtime Middle East policy expert, George Nader. — Two other alleged figures in the scheme, Rani El-Saadi and Moe Diab , are set to go on trial this week, with jury selection scheduled to open Wednesday. Nader, who's serving a 10-year sentence on child sexual abuse charges, has pleaded guilty in the campaign finance case and is cooperating with prosecutors but is not expected to testify at the trial. Khawaja is in Lithuania fighting extradition to the U.S. Prosecutors say the campaigns were not aware that the funds were flowing through straw donors or that the money came from a foreign source. — A lawyer for El-Saadi, Justin Shur , said the prosecutors' claim about the role of the Emirati government in the case would cause diplomatic trouble. "I know the State Department would not like the Justice Department's suggestion that some foreign government tried to influence the presidential election," Shur said. "Ms. Parikh just said that to me a minute ago," replied Moss, an appointee of President Bill Clinton. — Defense attorneys opposed mention of the UAE at the trial, but Moss ruled that prosecutors could say a Nader firm that allegedly sent a large chunk of the funds is based in the UAE. Parikh said the prosecution doesn't plan to tell jurors at this week's trial that the money originated with the Emirati government, but may do so if Khawaja faces trial in the future. The Emirati Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
| | | | JOIN THURSDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS ACROSS AMERICA: The Fifty: America's Mayors will convene mayors from across the country to discuss their policy agendas, including the enforcement of Covid measures such as vaccine and mask mandates. We'll also discuss how mayors are dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their local economies and workforce, affordable housing and homelessness, and criminal justice reforms. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | WHO'S NOT FUNDING DEM ELECTION CHIEFS: "Democratic secretaries of state say they're at the vanguard of protecting democracy, pushing back against election disinformation and attempts to suppress the vote," POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs reports. "But while the party's base has largely rallied behind them, its biggest donors have not. During the last six months of 2021, just one person, Democratic financier George Soros, gave more than $25,000 to the main association involved in electing the party's candidates for secretaries of state, according to a review of the group's filings. Four other individuals gave $25,000 precisely." CRYPTO LOBBYING BOOM HITS THE EMPIRE STATE: "New York is trying to become the U.S.'s 'crypto capital.' Major cryptocurrency companies are hiring an army of lobbyists to influence that outcome," report Bloomberg's Laura Nahmias and Crystal Kim. — "New filings show that Digital Currency Group, Blockchain.com, and roughly a dozen other firms are spending upwards of $100,000 a month in a $1.5 million Albany lobbying blitz aimed at helping to write the rules governing the $2 billion crypto industry, which remains mostly unregulated at the federal level. Even firms like eToro, which don't yet operate in New York, are staffing up in Albany because laws written there could impact legislation across the U.S." — "New York is home to some of the toughest financial watchdogs in the world and crypto companies are conscious of the lessons learned by technology companies like Airbnb Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. , which have tussled with New York regulators over the years. They're also mindful of New York's already onerous crypto licensing requirements and fear that states with fewer regulations, such as Texas, could lure companies there instead. On New York's cutthroat political stage, 'we have to have a seat at the table,' said Lane Kasselman, chief business officer at crypto trading platform Blockchain.com." ICYMI — HOW THE ASPHALT LOBBY WON BIG IN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL: The New York Times' Kate Kelly had a good piece out over the weekend on how the asphalt industry seized the opportunity during negotiations for the bipartisan infrastructure package and came away one of the bill's big winners — "within the $1 trillion of spending authorized by the infrastructure legislation that President Biden signed in November, the asphalt industry may ultimately receive the biggest share," she writes. — "And while roads were always likely to be a key focus of the legislation, the lobbying effort provided the industry a chance to promote what it cast as its environmental consciousness, making funding it more palatable to lawmakers who were concerned about road building fueling climate change." — "The asphalt industry's funding win appears to be the result of meat-and-potatoes legislative prioritizing that was helped by a politically prescient push by trade groups, according to lobbyists, congressional aides and other people involved in the process. Lawmakers realized that in a polarized political environment they could find common cause in repairing roads and bridges. Asphalt advocates, hoping to counter the idea that asphalt hurts the environment, framed the material as an unlikely ally in combating climate change." — "'We are America's No. 1 most recycled product,' said Jay Hansen, the executive vice president for advocacy at the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the industry's main trade group. A 21-page letter the association sent to Mr. Biden's transition team late in 2020 titled 'Build Back Better With Asphalt' suggested asphalt was also critical to job creation and economic recovery."
| | | | A message from Senior Living Advocacy – Tell Our Stories:   | | | | | | — John Weber has joined Monument Advocacy's government relations practice, as part of the firm's food and agriculture practice. Weber was previously legislative director for Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.). — Brian Weiss is joining the Alliance for Automotive Innovation as vice president of communications. He previously served as vice president of communications and media affairs at USTelecom – The Broadband Association and is a Senate alum. — Ilya Sheyman is now president at the Good Food Institute. He was most recently co-president at AGIS Partners and was executive director of MoveOn before that. — Vanessa L. Allen Sutherland is now executive vice president for legal and government affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary at Phillips 66 . She most recently was executive vice president for government relations and chief legal officer at Norfolk Southern. — Ed Kaleta is now senior vice president for global government affairs at 3M. He most recently was group vice president for U.S. government relations at Walgreens. — Monna Kashfi is joining Welcome.US as vice president of content and communications. She previously was chief content officer at WAMU. — Jeff Patchen has been promoted to director of government relations for the Electronic Transactions Association. Patchen was most recently senior manager for government affairs at ETA, and also worked previously at Safari Club International. — Tyler Williams is joining Galaxy Digital as head of regulatory and legislative affairs. Williams, a senior official in the Trump Treasury Department and former House and Senate financial services aide, will also serve on Galaxy's legal team and help shape its Washington strategy alongside Galaxy senior adviser Neal Katyal. — Ten Acre Marketing hired Danna Sabolik and Gabrielle Blacker as account coordinators, per Morning Ag. Blacker most recently led the transition of the United Fresh Produce Association and Produce Marketing Association as the two groups dissolved, giving way to the International Fresh Produce Association. — Jessie J. Knight. Jr. has joined the board of trustees at the Hudson Institute. He is managing director of the private equity fund Knight Angels and serves on the executive committee at the Chamber and is a Sempra Energy alum. — Heather Fluit has been named director of operational engagement and outreach at ICF Next, per Playbook. She most recently was deputy assistant DHS secretary for strategic communications, and is a Doug Jones alum. — Sally Guthrie is now associate director of U.S. public affairs at Becton, Dickinson, Playbook reports. She previously was associate director of congressional relations at the American Optometric Association. — Becca Trate is now a policy analyst at the Center of Data Innovation, part of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. She previously was comms manager at the National Association of Broadcasters. — K. Laurie McKay has been appointed vice president of government relations and protocol for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She previously was a director at Greenberg Traurig.
| | | | DON'T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | | | | | Team Valor (Kiggans for Congress, Esther for Congress, Jesse Jensen for Congress, John James for Congress, Inc., Iowans for Zach Nunn, Derrick Anderson for VA, Inc., Tom Barrett for Congress, Cory Mills for Congress, Van Orden for Congress, Zinke for Congress, Valor PAC)
| | | AIM: Abolish Injustice Mission (Super PAC)
FAITH IN AMERICA PAC (Leadership PAC: Mary Miller)
THE GREAT AMERICAN COMEBACK (Super PAC)
Leading the PAC (Leadership PAC: Mandela Barnes)
Pro-Life Warriors PAC (Super PAC)
Restore Truth USA (Super PAC)
Restore Truth Token PAC (RTT PAC) (PAC)
Williamsville for American Progress (PAC)
Yan For USA (PAC)
| | New Lobbying Registrations | | Capitol Tax Partners, LLP: Fair Access To Interstate Remedies Coalition
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Bridger Photonics
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Crowdpulse LLC
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Electronic Fluorocarbons
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Migrant Clinicians Network
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Student Freedom Initiative
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Western Environmental Law Center
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Clx Health, LLC Obo Siriusiq
Franklin Square Group, LLC: Prosus Group N.V.
Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.: Concordia Technologies, LLC
Nossaman LLP: Padre Dam Municipal Water District
Porterfield, Fettig & Sears, LLC: Airbnb, Inc.
Porterfield, Fettig & Sears, LLC: Sight Sciences
Rampy Northrup LLC: Cure Rare Disease
West Front Strategies LLC: Velatura Public Benefit Corporation
Who Dat Strategies LLC: Cj Lake LLC On Behalf Of County Of Alameda
Windward Strategies: Mark Foods, Inc.
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | Mr. Thomas Marquez: Joseph Gagliano
Venable LLP: Unicat Catalyst Technologies, Inc.
Wsquared Strategies LLC: Qomplx
| | | | A message from Senior Living Advocacy – Tell Our Stories: Throughout the darkest days of the pandemic, workers in senior care communities have shown up and provided care and support to our nation's most vulnerable individuals.
Now, seemingly forgotten, those who continue to work in senior care are in the fight of their lives to keep the nation's health care system afloat amid the worst staffing shortages among ALL health care providers nationwide.
We are long past calling this a crisis, now that thousands of American soldiers have been deployed to nursing homes across the nation to care for our seniors. It's time for Washington to STOP the siphoning and restore Provider Relief Funds. Without comprehensive relief, life-or-death repercussions will follow, as senior care staffing shortages increase hospital admissions and the risk of patient death. Learn more at tellourstories.org/no-relief | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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