MAGA moves in on K Street

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Jan 06, 2025 View in browser   By Caitlin Oprysko With Daniel Lippman FILLING THE SWAMP: Two of Donald Trump’s long-serving campaign aides are joining the gold rush of operatives on K Street looking to capitalize on their ties to the incoming president and his movement. — Michael Glassner, who was a senior adviser on Trump’s most recent campaign and served as COO and deputy campaign manager for his 2020 and 2016 campaigns, respectively, and John Pence, a senior adviser on the 2020 and 2016 campaigns who helped run a pro-Trump super PAC in 2024, have launched Frontline Government Relations, which they tout as the first overtly MAGA firm on K Street. — “There's really no pro-Trump, ‘America First’ lobbying firm in D.C. … and that’s what we are,” Glassner said in an interview, arguing that from his perspective, the vast majority of D.C.’s lobbyists are more establishment players less in tune with the key drivers of Trump’s agenda. — Prior to his work for Trump, Glassner spent 15 years working in the Senate, as well as for AIPAC, telecom company IDT and the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. — Pence, whose uncle Mike Pence was Trump’s first vice president, previously worked at the law and lobbying firm Ice Miller, where he lobbied for clients like the International Franchise Association, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and the cities of Jackson, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. — With almost a decade working for Trump’s political committees under his belt, “I have relationships that I developed through that period within the Trump administration and on the Hill which are unmatched, in my view,” Glassner told PI. — Together with Pence, Glassner argued their tenure in Trump world has given the pair an intimate understanding of the various personalities and politics of those in the West Wing and throughout the executive branch to draw on to help companies navigate Trump’s Washington. — They’re far from the only people who have sought to cash in on their ties to Trump or any other incoming president. But Glassner rejected the notion that the launch of their firm runs counter to Trump’s rants against Washington’s revolving door, making a distinction between potentially lobbying someone in the administration with whom he previously worked on the campaign. — “You're [a] professional, you build a relationship, and then you build on that,” Glassner argued. “I think the revolving door is really specific to people that work in an agency, right, and then you go out and lobby that agency. … We're not doing that.” — Glassner said he and Pence won’t be “limiting ourselves to any specific policy area,” and told PI the firm isn’t ruling out doing any work for foreign governments, as long as the work aligns with “our specific goals, which is supporting the Trump agenda.” — To help the firm put its advocacy strategies into action, it has partnered with Frontline Strategies, the GOP digital fundraising and media firm whose clients last cycle included Trump’s political committees, the RNC, NRSC, the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus and more. — Like Trump, the firm appears unafraid to court controversy, referring in a press release to “the four-year anniversary of the day Congress failed to demand accountability for widespread irregularities in the 2020 election.” — The reference to Jan. 6, 2021 — when a mob of Trump supporters descended on the Capitol to disrupt the certification of his loss after months of Trump and his allies promoting debunked claims of widespread voter fraud, and which was roundly denounced around K Street and the business community — was intentional, Glassner said, and aimed at pushing back against “a false narrative from the left about what happened that day,” he told PI. — “We did it on purpose, and we're not ashamed,” he added, when asked whether he was concerned about the reference potentially hurting the firm’s business. Happy Monday and welcome back to PI. While you’re taking cover from the snow, let me know what we missed while we were on hiatus: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. FIRST IN PI — FCC AIDE HANGS A SHINGLE: Evan Swarztrauber, a former aide to ex-FCC Chair Ajit Pai as well as incoming FCC Chair Brendan Carr, has launched CorePoint Strategies, a public affairs firm focused on tech and telecom policy. — He was most recently a senior vice president at AxAdvocacy and a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, and before his stint with the FCC during the Trump administration, Swarztrauber worked for the nonprofit TechFreedom. — Much like Frontline Government Relations, Swarztrauber is pitching his firm as a resource to help clients navigate political realignments that are also infecting the tech policy sphere. “That also applies to Chairman-designate Carr, because he very much is a representation, a manifestation of that realignment,” he said in an interview. — “In this political environment, it's not enough to just assume that you can lobby Congress or lobby an agency and just make an argument on the merits, and that's going to be enough to get something done,” Swarztrauber added. — “Everything now is affected by politics, everything is affected by surround sound, and, you know, issues like tech issues are no longer just these wonky things that are fought by stakeholders within the boundaries of D.C.” While that “could be a challenge, of course,” he told PI, “it could also be an opportunity.” PRIVATE EQUITY EYES AN OPENING: The private equity industry is planning to appeal to the Trump administration to give it “access to broad pools of capital it has not historically been allowed to tap, including retirement savings, in a move that could unlock trillions of dollars for their firms,” Financial Times’ Antoine Gara reports. — “The $13tn industry is hoping the new White House will revive a deregulatory push from the final months of Donald Trump’s first presidency, which allowed private equity investments to be included in professionally managed funds.” — “Now, the industry is seeking to push past that first step, allowing tax-deferred defined contribution plans such as 401ks to back unlisted investments such as leveraged buyouts, low-rated private loans and illiquid property deals, industry executives told the Financial Times.” WHAT’S NEXT FOR WILSON: Chris Wilson is now CEO of EyesOver US, an AI-powered polling and data analytics firm. He most recently was founder and CEO of WPAi, a job from which POLITICO reported he was fired after allegations he likely used company money on personal expenses, which he denied. TRUMP MINES K STREET FOR TAX POST: Trump picked veteran tax lobbyist Ken Kies of Federal Policy Group to be his point person for tax issues at the Treasury Department, signaling “business will have a strong ally in the administration as it pushes through major tax legislation,” our Brian Faler notes. — Kies’ client list from his more than two decades on K Street, which includes most recently Microsoft, HSA administrator HealthEquity, the financial planning and life insurers industry group Finseca, Cruise Lines International Association and the American Automotive Leasing Association, is sure to attract scrutiny as he’s enacting tax policy. — Kies, who previously worked on the Hill for the Joint Committee on Taxation, “would have a big voice in the fight over Republicans’ expiring tax cuts, not to mention a panoply of regulatory issues — from the fate of Democrats’ ‘Direct File’ initiative at the IRS to the shape of their corporate minimum tax,” Brian writes. ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: “Washington’s think-tank industry, which sets the terms of debate for so much of American policymaking, is floating on a sea of foreign-government and Pentagon-contractor dollars,” according to a report released Friday by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, per our Michael Schaffer. — “Among other things, the paper says that the top 50 think tanks took in some $110 million over the past five years from foreign governments and related entities, including nearly $17 million from the United Arab Emirates, the largest single foreign donor. Leading Pentagon contractors, meanwhile, kicked in nearly $35 million over the same period.” — “The Atlantic Council and the Brookings Institution topped the list of foreign-government beneficiaries, taking in nearly $21 million and over $17 million, respectively. All in all, 54 different governments contributed to the industry, a list largely made up of pro-western democracies but also including fantastically wealthy authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.” — “Most disturbingly, the report makes clear that the numbers it cites may only be partial: Unlike traditional PACs or registered foreign agents, think tanks don’t have to disclose where their money comes from.” SPOTTED at L’Ardente on Friday for a congressional swearing in celebration hosted by Tremont Strategies Group, per a tipster: Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Angus King (I-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii); Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Herb Conaway (D-N.J.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.); Chet Atkins, Liesl Sheehan and Mike Bergan of Tremont Strategies Group, Alan Solomont of Tufts University, Liz Westbrook and Alpha Lillstrom Cheng of Women in Government Relations, Malisa Schuyler of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Marco Giamberardino of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Kristen Gowin, Michael McDonald and Lou Antonellis of the National Electrical Contractors Association of Greater Boston; Trent Bauserman of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Matthew Shuman of Philips, Julia Mathis of the American Legion, Katie Zirkelbach of Zirkelbach Strategies, Brett Richards of Jones Walker, Brian Barnard of Uber, Aaron Gornstein of the Preservation of Affordable Housing, Cindy Martineau of the Towing and Recovery Association of America and Melinda Elliott of Prolacta Bioscience. Jobs report — Francis Brennan is joining Meta’s strategic response communications team, the company's latest move to revamp its global policy shop. Brennan previously worked as the House GOP Conference’s deputy communications director under Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and is a Trump 2020 alum. — Firehouse Strategies has hired Will Bensur as a vice president. Bensur was most recently press secretary for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). — Samantha Schwab will be deputy chief of staff at the Treasury Department. She most recently did business development at Kalshi and is a Trump White House alum. — Mark Piland is now director of legislative affairs at the Artemis Group. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). — Lindsay Wigo will be senior producer at Young America’s Foundation. She previously was production manager at Townhall Media and is an RNC alum. — Sarah Paden is joining Goldman Sachs as vice president of state government affairs. She most recently was vice president and chief political director for the Progressive Policy Institute, and is a Kamala Harris and Andrew Cuomo alum. — Crypto.com is promoting Matt David to president of North America and chief corporate affairs officer. He was previously chief communications officer. — Bob Salera has been promoted to principal at AxAdvocacy. He was previously a senior vice president. — Lauren Wilbor has joined the Specialty Equipment Market Association as manager of digital communications and partnerships. She was previously a field director for United Democracy Project. — Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance Executive Vice President Tommy Goodwin is joining Factum Global’s advisory board. — Andrew Rogers and Andrew Wishnia have joined Boundary Stone Partners as senior vice presidents in its Washington office, where they will lead the firm’s transportation and infrastructure practice. They both come from EpicWorks Advisors. — Husch Blackwell Strategies is acquiring Tennessee lobbying firm Harris Frazier Government Relations. — Sara Karrakchou has joined the Healthcare Leadership Council as director of communications. She was previously at the Healthcare Distribution Alliance. — Ruben Gonzales will be a principal at Penchina Partners. He most recently has led external affairs for the Peace Corps, and is a Biden White House alum. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs ANTI-WOKE FUND (Hybrid PAC) Ban the Trade PAC (Super PAC) Blue Empowerment Project (PAC) Caribbean Diaspora Voices United (Super PAC) Delta First PAC (Super PAC) Delta Waterfowl Center for Policy and Legislative Affairs PAC (DUCK PAC) (PAC) The Democratic Congressional Clearinghouse (Super PAC) Fight Fight Fight PAC (Hybrid PAC) FORWARD RED PAC (Super PAC) Good PAC (Leadership PAC: Maggie Goodlander) GTM Nominee Fund: CA-09 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: CA-13 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: OH-09 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: ME-02 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: MI-08 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: NC-01 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: NJ-09 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: NM-02 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: NV-03 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: NY-03 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: TX-28 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: TX-34 (PAC) GTM Nominee Fund: WA-03 (PAC) National Trailer Dealers Association PAC (PAC) Pathway to Victory Inc. (Super PAC) People's Coalition (Hybrid PAC) Pine Gate Renewables, LLC Power PAC (PAC) Pine Tree Results PAC (Super PAC) PlayPAC (Super PAC) Primary The Swamp (Super PAC) PROTECTING DEMOCRACY PAC (Super PAC) Socialist PAC (PAC) Starboard Alliance (Super PAC) Style Worldwide Advocacy Group PAC (SWAG PAC) (PAC) 2020 Strategies LLC: American Federation For Children Adani Solar USa And Its Affiliates: Adani Solar USa And Its Affiliates Adomi Advisory Group Pllc: Dr. Shallfdeen Amuwo Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Adani Solar USa And Its Affiliates Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Black Moon Energy Corporation Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Charter Brokerage LLC Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Healthcare Privacy Forum, LLC Dba Healthcare Trust Institute Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Lowe's Companies Inc Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Mondelez Global LLC Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Ornua Foods North America, Inc. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Target Corporation Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Aws Public Policy, Americas Ballard Partners: Anti-Defamation League Ballard Partners: Babel Street, Inc. Ballard Partners: Bi2 Technologies, LLC Ballard Partners: Constellation Energy Ballard Partners: Douglas County Pud Ballard Partners: Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company Ballard Partners: Herenow Help, Inc. Ballard Partners: National Association Of Chain Drug Stores Ballard Partners: Pasco County, Florida Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.: Coalition For Chemical Innovations Bice Policy Group: Responsible Meat Coalition Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP: Panacea Health Corporation Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP: Ron Group, LLC, D/B/A Blue Sky Specialty Pharmacy Burrell International Group LLC: The Conafay Group LLC O/B/O Realta Life Sciences, Inc Capital Park Partners LLC: Slsco Ltd Cfm Strategic Communications (Conkling Fiskum & Mccormick): City Of Tukwila Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Aevex Aerospace, LLC Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Fuse Integration, Inc. Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Mbda Incorporated Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Neology, Inc. Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Omni Federal, LLC Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: One Stop Systems, Inc. Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Plexsys Interface Products, Inc. Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Skeyeon, Inc. Eb Consulting: National Beer Wholesalers Association Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Power Forward Communities, Inc. Holland & Knight LLP: Axon Enterprise, Inc. Holland & Knight LLP: Crysalis Biosciences, Inc. Invariant LLC: Armada Systems, Inc. Ius Impact LLC: Better Schools For A Better Future, Inc. J.A. Green And Company: Acalvio Technologies J.A. Green And Company: Globalfoundries U.S. Inc. J M Burkman & Associates: Launchcart K&L Gates, LLP: Texas Lng LLC Lilette Advisors: Ever Swift International Limited Mr. Richard Burness: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP Obo Reinsurance Association Of America O'Neil Bradley Consulting LLC: Carta, Inc. Phoenix Strategies Inc.: Airport Minority Advisory Council Phoenix Strategies Inc.: Amc Civil Phoenix Strategies Inc.: Reworld Porter Group, LLC: City Of Sparks Rising Tide Associates: Barrday Corporation Rising Tide Associates: Devan Chemicals N.V. Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC: Nyc Alliance Tch Group, LLC: Barnwell County, Sc The Batson Firm, Pllc: Fidem Energy The Conafay Group, LLC: Realta Life Sciences, Inc. University Of Notre Dame: University Of Notre Dame Valiant Strategies LLC: R.R.P. Consulting Engineers, L.L.C. Obo Kickapoo Traditional Tribe Of Texas Venture Government Strategies, LLC (Fka Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC): Fay Financial, LLC 1607 Strategies, LLC: Pharmaceutical Care Management Association 2020 Strategies LLC: Invest In Education Coalition California Forestry Association: California Forestry Association Cfm Strategic Communications (Conkling Fiskum & Mccormick): Foss Maritime Company Cogent Strategies LLC: Pearl Mobile Dtv Company LLC Cogent Strategies LLC: The Coalition For Renewable Natural Gas Francis Edward & Cronin, Inc.: Cure Alzheimer'S Fund Government Counsel, LLC: Hooper,Lundy& Bookman, Pc (Obo Roche Diagnostics) Government Counsel, LLC: Medtronic Inc. Haier US Appliance Solution, Inc. Dba Ge Appliances: Haier US Appliance Solution, Inc. Dba Ge Appliances Harwood International Ltd: Truconnect Hmu Consulting LLC: The Wilderness Society Husch Blackwell Strategies: Believer Meats Husch Blackwell Strategies: Briggs And Stratton Invariant LLC: Bayotech Invariant LLC: Omni Federal Invariant LLC: Zeno Power Systems, Inc. J.A. Green And Company: Klas Government, Inc. Jamison And Sullivan, Inc.: Oregon Timber Counties Coalition Keefe Singiser Partners, Fka Keefe Strategies LLC: National Partnership For Women & Families Laura Wood Peterson Consulting, Inc.: Meristem Crop Performance Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Centrio Energy Lobbyit.Com: The Institute For Ngo Research Lumpkin Public Affairs LLC: Native Village Of Eyak Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Bezos Earth Fund LLC Michael Strachn: Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (Safca) Miller-Wenhold Capitol Strategies: Douglas County Mr. Stephen Ryan: American Registry For Internet Numbers Net Centric Alliance LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Obo Cogitativo, Inc. Orion Advocates: American Building Materials Alliance Oscar Policy Group, LLC: The Support Sight Foundation Phoenix Strategies Inc.: The Washington Consulting Group, Inc. Phoenix Strategies Inc.: Tigerlily Foundation Pike Associates LLC: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermens Alliance, Inc. Porter Group, LLC: Ruby Vista Ranch, LLC Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC: Breast Cancer Foundation Of The Ozarks Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Fanduel, Inc. Stonington Global: Pyle USa Sound Around Inc Stonington Global: The Ivy At Great Falls The Burnham Group LLC: Arrayed Additive The Burnham Group LLC: Crown Magnesium Inc The Burnham Group LLC: Epicentre Alliance The Burnham Group LLC: Lite Magnesium Products, Inc The Burnham Group LLC: Magnesium Battery Thinkp3, LLC: Association For The Improvement Of American Infrastructure Uncorked Advocates: Ywca USa Vantage Point Strategies LLC: Fiber Optic Sensing Association   Follow us

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