ERIC SCHMIDT'S INFLUENCE IN THE WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE OFFICE: "As President Joe Biden granted his science office unprecedented access and power, one outside adviser to that office has attained what staffers describe as an unusual level of influence," our Alex Thompson reports. — "A foundation controlled by Eric Schmidt, the multi-billionaire former CEO of Google , has played an extraordinary, albeit private, role in shaping the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy over the past year. More than a dozen officials in the 140-person White House office have been associates of Schmidt's, including some current and former Schmidt employees, according to interviews with current and former staff members and internal emails obtained by POLITICO." — "Schmidt maintained a close relationship with the president's former science adviser, Eric Lander , and other Biden appointees. And his charity arm, Schmidt Futures, indirectly paid the salaries of two science-office employees, including, for six weeks, that of the current chief of staff, Marc Aidinoff, who is now one of the most senior officials in the office following Lander's resignation in February. The chief innovation officer at Schmidt Futures, OSTP alum Tom Kalil , also remained on Schmidt's payroll while working as an unpaid consultant at the science office for four months last year until he left the post following ethics complaints." — "The science office's efforts to arrange for Schmidt Futures to pay the salaries of Lander's staff sparked 'significant' ethical concerns, given Schmidt's financial interests in areas overlapping with OSTP's responsibilities, according to the science office's then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, in internal emails obtained by POLITICO." MERCURY TAPS GALLAGHER AS PRESIDENT: Mercury Public Affairs has named John Gallagher, a partner in its New York office, president of the firm. Gallagher, a onetime press secretary to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, joined Mercury a decade ago as managing director, and was promoted to partner in 2017. He previously worked in public affairs for Tishman Construction Company, which was sold to AECOM in 2010, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was charged with planning the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan after 9/11. PI LEGAL CORNER: "A former business partner of President Donald Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn scored a major legal victory Friday as a federal judge ordered a new trial for the Iranian-born businessman on charges that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey as Trump ran for president in 2016," POLITICO's Josh Gerstein reports. — The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Trenga in Alexandria, Va., was the latest lurch in a legal roller coaster ride for Bijan Rafiekian, who was found guilty by a jury following a 2019 trial then had his two felony convictions thrown out by Trenga only to see the guilty verdicts reinstated by an appeals court last March. — "In the ruling Friday, Trenga emphasized that working in parallel with a foreign government — and even coordinating some activities with that government — does not make one an agent of that government under U.S. law. 'A person must do more than act in parallel with a foreign government's interest, pursue a mutual goal, or privately pledge personal alliance' to such a government, the judge wrote in his 51-page opinion." — Meanwhile "Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) announced Saturday he is resigning from Congress after being convicted of three felonies related to a federal probe of illegal campaign contributions," POLITICO's Olivia Beavers writes. — "His decision, which he announced after he returned to his home state, caps a remarkable political fall and came after top House leaders prodded him to end his nine-term career in the lower chamber following the guilty findings Thursday night by a jury in Los Angeles. 'Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer serve you effectively,' Fortenberry said in a statement. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday suggested Fortenberry should resign from Congress, indicating he would talk with the congressman that day." PHARMA BETS ON TIM SCOTT: "Sen. Tim Scott, a rising star in the Republican Party with broad popularity in his home state of South Carolina, is getting showered with drug industry money before facing voters this fall. Scott was the top recipient of pharma campaign cash in Congress during the second half of 2021, receiving $99,000," Kaiser Health News' Rachana Pradhan and Victoria Knight report. —Scott, the top Republican on the Senate's Special Committee on Aging and a member of the Finance and HELP committees, "has been a perennial recipient since arriving in Congress in 2011," but "the latest amount is nearly twice as much as his previous highest haul." — "In total, 27 drug and biotech companies or their powerful lobbying organizations in Washington contributed to his campaign accounts in the latter half of last year. Amgen, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, and Genentech were his top donors, each giving between $5,000 and $10,500." — "[Steven] Billet, an expert on political action committees and associate professor at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University , points to factors beyond his stances on pharma issues that contribute to his fundraising haul. Many of Scott's positions are aligned with his fellow Republicans in Congress who shun greater government intervention in controlling costs. Instead, the contributions may reflect the industry's bet that Scott has a promising political future." WHAT THE STUDENT LOAN INDUSTRY WANTS: "Private student lenders are asking the White House to extend the expiring moratorium on federal student loan payments until 2023 — but only for certain borrowers facing 'severe hardship and distress,'" POLITICO's Michael Stratford reports. — "The American Fintech Council, a trade association that represents some student loan refinance companies, on Friday detailed its plan for a new 'targeted' moratorium on federal loan payments in a letter to Susan Rice, the chair of the White House Domestic Policy Council." — "The group proposed extending the payment pause until January 2023 only for borrowers who are either unemployed or earning under $60,000. Borrowers should be able to quickly self-certify their unemployment status or income over the phone or in writing without needing to provide supporting documents, the group said."
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