STRYK IN TALKS TO REPRESENT POTASH INDUSTRY IN BELARUS: Lobbyist Robert Stryk and former Rep. Scott Taylor " are jockeying to serve as middlemen between interests in Belarus — a key Russian ally — and the U.S. government," POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs reports — in fact, the two were in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, last month when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine to pitch their services. — "Stryk wasn't in Belarus on a diplomatic mission. He is in talks to work with the country's potash industry, which has faced sanctions from the Biden administration — though the arrangement has not yet been formalized." — "Belarus, whose president is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin , is one of the few countries openly helping the Kremlin in its invasion of Ukraine. It has become a staging ground for Russian troops to enter the country and move on Kyiv. And, for that, it has become an increasing pariah for the West. NATO recently held a military exercise on the Poland-Belarus border as a show of force against the country." — "Taylor insists that he is not working for an enemy so much as trying to create dialogue to end the conflict. He noted that advocating for the government of Belarus would be a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act." NEW IN TOWN: TaxBit, a tax and accounting software company specializing in digital assets, is opening a new Washington office as part of a broader effort to push lawmakers and federal agencies to clarify crypto tax policies, CEO Austin Woodward told Sam in an interview. — The Salt Lake City-based firm, which counts the IRS among its clients, made its first lobbying hire earlier this month when it tapped Invariant to assist with its efforts around the Hill. "We expect to spend a significant amount of time and resources with lawmakers, with the IRS and otherwise so that we can help propel digital asset adoption forward," Woodward said. — IRS officials have identified digital assets as a significant contributor to an estimated $1 trillion tax gap, and President Joe Biden 's latest budget includes three crypto-related proposals that are projected to raise $11 billion over the next decade. — TaxBit announced a handful of Washington-based hires last month, including former Red Hat executive Nathan Jones, who was brought in to lead its public sector sales and government affairs unit, and former IRS senior counsel Miles Fuller to be its head of government solutions. Former Microsoft and DocuSign attorney Christi Muoneke was recently brought in as the company's corporate general counsel. MORE UKRAINE FALLOUT ON K STREET: "A top U.S. lobbying firm has dropped the Sudanese government as a client, citing the military junta's close ties to Russia and failure to denounce Moscow's invasion of Ukraine," per The Africa Report's Julian Pecquet. — "Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough broke off its engagement with the Sudanese Commission for Social Safety, Solidarity, and Poverty Reduction on 7 March, according to a newly disclosed lobbying filing, leaving $360,000 on the table. The firm had signed a 12-month contract at the end of January to try to repair bilateral ties and 'facilitate foreign aid and investments in Sudan' after the US suspended $700m in annual aid following Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's 25 October coup." — "'I wasn't comfortable being in any way supporting the government, because it just did not seem as though they were fully committed to a civilian controlled government,' says Nelson Mullins senior policy adviser Jim Moran, a former Democratic member of Congress from Virginia who signed the contract with Sudanese Commissioner General Ezzadean Elsafi." — "Just last month, Moran told The Africa Report that he had agreed to work with Elsafi because he was a technocrat who seemed well positioned to help the Sudanese people. … Moran said the breaking point came after Sudan abstained from condemning Russia's invasion at the United Nations," and that the firm would return its initial $90,000 quarterly payment. THE TIES THAT BIND (SKDK TO THE WHITE HOUSE): SKDK's Anita Dunn returned to the White House a second time earlier this month for a short stint in the West Wing, The Washington Post's Tyler Pager, Sean Sullivan and Michael Scherer report in a look at " how Dunn and her firm are a unique force in Biden's Washington — straddling the line between the private sector and the administration to quietly staff the government, steer the presidency and remake the Democratic Party in Biden's image." — The episode once again raised questions among ethics experts who noted that, as a temporary employee being paid just below a key salary threshold, Dunn was able to avoid filing financial disclosures that would shed light on SKDK's client list and wasn't required to sign the administration's ethics pledge, though "a person close to Dunn" told the Post that "neither SKDK nor Dunn lobby or represent any clients on matters before the federal government." — "White House spokesman Chris Meagher said in a statement that Dunn is 'a trusted advisor who has known the president for a long time,' adding that she returned to 'the White House temporarily to bring her expertise and add capacity at a key time.' Meagher said Dunn received 'rigorous counseling on her ethics obligations as an SGE, including avoiding any potential conflicts of interest.'" — Even "beyond Dunn, SKDK's ties can be found across the administration, where at least eight of the firm's former employees currently work, according to a Washington Post tally. In addition, at least eight officials who have served in the Biden administration subsequently joined or rejoined the firm. When those who worked on the Biden campaign and transition are also included, a total of at least 19 individuals connected to the Biden operations have worked at SKDK or are working there now." — West Wing Playbook expanded on the piece, reporting that "Dunn's personal Gmail is also occasionally cc'd on emails that only include other senior White House officials, according to a recent email viewed by West Wing Playbook and other White House officials who have observed the practice" and pointing out that "in a video the White House released about Biden preparing for the State of the Union, Dunn was featured as one of the senior advisers helping the president."
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