With help from Daniel Lippman Foreign governments eyeing Nov. 5: A number of foreign governments have enlisted help from K Street to grapple with the implications of the 2024 election season — a continuation of the classic Washington tradition of cozying up to those who could soon be government officials even before inauguration day. — A review of documents filed with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act gives a glimpse into the campaign-related duties of political operatives hired by foreign governments in anticipation of the quadrennial election. — For one, Taiwan has hired Skyline Capitol, the firm run by former Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), for campaign forecasting and monitoring along with outreach to the Republican Party, specifically around the convention’s party platform. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States hosted a reception at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, according to an invite filed with the DOJ. — The Canadian province of Ontario tasked Capitol Counsel with creating a “Pre-elections U.S. Engagement Strategy” and a post-elections strategy that would include an outline of Ontario’s priorities for the first 100 days. South Korea asked Cornerstone Government Affairs to update the embassy on “internal information in the run up to the Presidential election in 2024.” Squire Patton Boggs has also been asked to advise South Korea on “policies and legislative activities in the Executive Branch and US Congress in the run up to the Presidential election in 2024.” Forbes Tate Partners is advising Japan on U.S. politics. — In the weeks after the election, there will inevitably be a mad dash among lobbyists, businesses, diplomats and activists to map out the orbit of the next presidential administration. As we’ve previously reported, some of that jockeying has already begun. The filings with the DOJ show that some foreign officials are already moving to get ahead of the slog that will consume Washington operatives in the leadup to inauguration day. Happy FARA Friday, and welcome to PI. My name is Hailey Fuchs, and I’m helming the newsletter today while Caitlin is away. Please send us all your money in politics tips to hfuchs@politico.com and coprysko@politico.com. Follow us on X: @Hailey_Fuchs and @caitlinoprysko. And if you happen to know more about how foreign governments are building relationships in Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s orbit, please send me a note. FROM ACROSS THE POND: Natalee Binkholder is now head of government relations and regulatory strategy for the Americas at the London Stock Exchange Group. — Binkholder was previously an in-house lobbyist for Santander and worked for then Rep. Mick Mulvaney (who later became President Donald Trump’s chief of staff). HARRIS’ BIG BUSINESS WHISPERER: The Wall Street Journal is out with an eye-popping story about Harris’ brother-in-law, Tony West, who has taken on an influential role in her presidential bid and who may also become a liability. — “When the International Brotherhood of Teamsters deliberated its presidential endorsement, the conversation drifted to a key person in Vice President Kamala Harris’s orbit: her brother-in-law Tony West,” Catherine Lucey, Ken Thomas, and Emily Glazer report. — “In the private meeting, union officials expressed a wariness about West’s role as a top executive with Uber Technologies and his involvement in a $200 million effort to pass a California ballot initiative in 2020, according to two people briefed on the executive board’s discussions. The initiative overturned a law that sought to classify drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft as gig workers, limiting some benefits.” — “One person briefed on the discussions said the conversation focused on the implications for truck drivers and union workers of a top Harris confidant coming from Uber. ‘That led to a conversation about who she might side with when it comes to gig and the tech industry, which is a concern for working people,’ the person said.” PRE-ELECTION AD BLITZ: The Democratic super PAC House Majority PAC and the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund are launching a $10 million campaign in New York and California, focusing on tossup races in the heavily blue states. — Democrats continue to see abortion rights as their winning issue. The ads, which will appear on digital and streaming, focus on abortion — even though Everytown is a group dedicated to gun control. In fact, one of the ads released by the group, targeting Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), does not even mention gun control. — “If we want to pass common-sense gun safety solutions, we need a Democratic Majority,” argued House Majority PAC President Mike Smith in a press release announcing the ad campaign. SHAKEUP AT TRUMP MEDIA: In the final stretch of the presidential election, ProPublica’s Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski report that “Former President Donald Trump’s media company has forced out executives in recent days after internal allegations that its CEO, former Rep. Devin Nunes, is mismanaging the company.” — “Several people involved with Trump Media believe the ousters are retaliation following what they describe as an anonymous ‘whistleblower’ complaint regarding Nunes that went to the company’s board of directors.” — “The chief operating officer and chief product officer have left the company, along with at least two lower-level staffers, according to interviews, social media posts and communications between former staffers reviewed by ProPublica. The company, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, disclosed the departure of the chief operating officer in a securities filing Thursday afternoon.”
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment