Invariant adds Harris adviser

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Jun 14, 2022 View in browser   By Caitlin Oprysko Presented by With Daniel Lippman HARRIS ADVISER, FUNDRAISER JOINS INVARIANT: Democratic strategist and longtime Kamala Harris adviser Shari Yost Gold is joining Invariant as a senior adviser on its strategic comms and public affairs team. — At Invariant, Yost Gold will advise executives across a range of sectors to "really try to help elevate their voices and brands among key audiences in Washington and around the country," she told PI. That's especially critical with corporations being dragged into the political arena now more than ever, she said, as executives face pressure not only from their shareholders but from their employees, too. — "I think corporations will be scrutinized even more by Washington, but … it's just not by Washington. It's also scrutinized by the public and by their employees and still by their shareholders because they need to make money," she said, pointing also to recent high-profile unionization efforts. — Yost Gold has worked for the vice president since her time as attorney general of California, and was the top vendor to Harris' presidential campaign in 2019. After Harris dropped out of the race, Yost Gold advised the short-lived campaign of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Earlier this year she served as a senior advisor at MikeWorldWide, a public relations shop by Democratic fundraiser Mike Kempner. — Yost Gold said that in her time working and traveling with Harris, the scrutiny Harris faced as a woman of color provided insight into how to navigate gender bias among the public. "I really saw the judgment firsthand, and I think that helps everybody at that top level in business to have that sort of understanding of the public's view on public people," she said. "Coming into it with that piece, I think, is extraordinarily helpful in these days and times." — She won't be registering to lobby, staying on Invariant's three-year-old public affairs side. But Yost Gold is still one of just a handful of Harris alumni downtown, making her addition a big pickup for one of D.C.'s biggest firms. — Other Harris alumni on K Street include Grant Barbosa, a lobbyist at Williams & Jensen; Yasmin Rigney Nelson, who's a partner at Bracewell LLP; Clint Odom, who's a vice president at T-Mobile; Lartease Tiffith, who lobbies for the Interactive Advertising Bureau; and Sergio Gonzales, who runs the immigration advocacy group Immigration Hub. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Tips: coprysko@politico.com. Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. A message from Freight Rail Works: America's freight railroads are working 24/7 to provide efficient, sustainable and customer-focused solutions to supply chain issues. We've increased capacity, hiring, and coordination across our network to better serve all the critical industries that keep the U.S. economy strong. Learn more about how we're improving every day to better serve our customers.   ANNALS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Daniel Defense, the Georgia-based gun manufacturer whose rifle was used in the killing of 21 schoolchildren and teachers last month in Uvalde, Texas, has been hit with a new complaint alleging the company violated federal campaign finance laws against federal contractors making political contributions. — The complaint from the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center centers on a $100,000 donation from the gunmaker to a super PAC, the Gun Owners Action Fund, last year. The committee's independent expenditures supported former Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in their runoff elections, campaign finance filings show. — The contribution from Daniel Defense, which was made on Jan. 6, 2021, represented 90 percent of the super PAC's haul during this election cycle, according to the complaint, and came at a time when the gunmaker had several active federal contracts with the Pentagon, State Department and Department of Justice. — "Allowing federal contractors like Daniel Defense to make political contributions would risk creating a 'pay to play' culture of political corruption, in which companies benefiting from taxpayer-funded federal contracts receive favored treatment in exchange for their political contributions," the complaint argues, calling the federal contractor contribution prohibition "a bulwark against corruption and the appearance of corruption." — CLC's complaint notes that it has flagged one other contribution to the super PAC, from gunmaker Sig Sauer, which was refunded after the watchdog group filed an FEC complaint pointing out that company's status as a federal contractor. The Washington Post's Isaac Stanley-Becker reports that last month, Daniel Defense asked that its contribution to the super PAC be refunded. LAWMAKERS PROBE FOSSIL FUELS' PR MACHINE: Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee are seeking internal documents from five public relations firms and the American Petroleum Institute detailing the work they did for fossil fuel companies, Morning Energy reports. — The committee wants API, FTI Consulting, Story Partners, DDC Advocacy, Blue Advertising and Singer Associates to submit documents and information related to the firms' work on marketing or influence campaigns by June 27. The inquiry references an incident last year when former ExxonMobil lobbyist Keith McCoy was caught on video saying the company backed a carbon tax only for publicity and touting the use of "shadow groups" to undermine climate change pushes. — In letters to the firms, committee Chair Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif,), chair of its oversight panel, wrote that the committee "seeks greater understanding of this cooperation among industry, trade associations and PR firms to influence public opinion and policymaking in ways that prevent the United States from addressing the climate crisis." — The inquiry is a victory for activists including Clean Creatives , which has pushed PR and ad agencies to drop fossil fuel clients. "There's no way for agencies to keep brushing off their fossil fuel work as 'business as usual' now that it's the subject of Congressional investigation," Duncan Meisel, the group's director, argued in a statement. WILL THE JAN. 6 HEARINGS RESULT IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CHARGES AGAINST TRUMP?: "Former President Donald Trump is unlikely to face fraud charges related to his campaign's alleged efforts to mislead supporters into donating money to a non-existent 'Official Election Defense Fund,'" legal experts tell Insider's Brent Griffiths and Dave Levinthal. — "Trump's political fundraising operation is under renewed scrutiny after the US House's January 6 select committee confirmed that no such fund ever existed. Trump's campaign repeatedly hit up supporters with ominous messages that repeated the then-president['s] debunked claims about widespread election fraud. The messages raked in record donations for the beleaguered president to the tune of more than $170 million before he even left office." — "It's clear that he intentionally misled his donors, asked them to donate to a fund that didn't exist and used the money raised for something other than what he said. Now it's for someone else to decide whether that's criminal or not," committee member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) told reporters following Monday's hearing. — "But experts told Insider that while Trump or his associates may have misled donors, there are still crucial details that are still unknown about the fundraising strategy. 'You need to prove to the jury that somebody authorized solicitations that said the money was going to be spent on election contests knowing that was false,' said Adav Noti , vice president and legal director at the Campaign Legal Center who previously served as the Federal Election Commission's associate general counsel for policy. 'You need to find the individuals, it wouldn't be enough for criminal purposes to say, "here's what happened." HOT ANTITRUST SUMMER: "The Justice Department officials who will decide whether President Joe Biden's anti-monopoly guru can handle the government's massive case against Google previously ran nonprofits that took loads of cash from the tech giant, disclosures show," according to the Daily Beast's William Bredderman. — "In May, the feds tentatively yanked Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter — whom the administration brought on last year to lead its antitrust division — from its investigations and legal efforts against Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc, including the mega-suit the Department of Justice brought in 2020 alleging the company unfairly undercuts rivals." — "The move came after Google urged the federal government to force Kanter to recuse himself, noting his previous private-sector work against the company on behalf of such clients as Microsoft and Yelp, and his history of critical commentary about the California-based powerhouse's business practices." — "But the officials who will make a final determination about whether Kanter will resume his responsibilities in the Google cases have their own histories in the private sector — including with organizations that benefited from the company's lavish giving."   DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED:  Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today.     Jobs Report — Matt DeLuca has joined Khoros as a director of strategic services. He previously led advertising for Golin and is an Edelman, AARP, RNC and Boeing alum. — The ERA Coalition/Fund for Women's Equality announced that Zakiya Thomas will serve as the next president and CEO. She most recently founded her own consulting firm. — Alex Gleason has joined the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies as assistant vice president of federal and political affairs. Gleason most recently served as a vice president at Crossroads Strategies and is an Ed Royce alum. — Sarah Gallo is joining the Consumer Brands Association as vice president of product policy. She most recently was at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and is a CHS, National Corn Growers and House Small Business alum. — Saira Zaki has joined the comms and issue management firm Levinson Group as a senior managing director based in the firm's London office. She most recently was global director of communications at the law firm Dechert LLP. — Carla Picasso is now an associate at The Herald Group. She is a recent graduate of George Washington University.   A message from Freight Rail Works:   New Joint Fundraisers Houchin Victory Fund (Houchin for Congress, Electing Republicans Indiana PAC) Kelly Harder Victory Fund (Sen. Mike Kelly, Rep. Josh Harder) New PACs Fighters For a Strong America PAC (Super PAC) Our Path Forward (PAC) Protect Americas Borders (Super PAC) Stark Leadership PAC (Super PAC) United Community Coalition (Hybrid PAC) Uniting Ohio Action Fund (Super PAC)   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     New Lobbying Registrations Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Enpower Inc. Barker Leavitt, Pllc (Ska Mr. James C. Barker): South Jordan, Utah Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Gates Policy Initiative Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: United Launch Alliance Maggi Lazarus: O'Rourke And Associates, LLC (On Behalf Of Minicap, LLC) Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, Inc.: Alarm.Com Platinum Advisors Dc, LLC: American Clean Power Association Platinum Advisors Dc, LLC: News Media Alliance Platinum Advisors Dc, LLC: Unidosus Rock Creek Counsel: Orsted Offshore North America Rulon & White Governance Strategies: Enterprise Cloud Services Inc., Salt Point Strategies: Millicom Salt Point Strategies: Netchoice Salt Point Strategies: Vmware, Inc. The Nickles Group, LLC: Vitas Healthcare The Raben Group: Human Milk Banking Association Of North America Transparency International U.S. (A Project Of The Fund For Constitutional Government): Transparency International U.S. (A Project Of The Fund For Constitutional Govern Ward And Smith, P.A.: Star Telephone Membership Corporation Dba Star Communications West Realm Shires Services, Inc. D/B/A Ftx US: West Realm Shires Services Inc. D/B/A Ftx US New Lobbying Terminations John M Quinn: Anderson Kill P.C. Lop Strategies: Starbucks Corporation A message from Freight Rail Works: America's freight railroads provide more than just critical connections across the country. We help the U.S. economy compete on the global stage. We invest more than $20 billion a year to maintain and improve our infrastructure, so we can provide American industries with the safe and sustainable freight transportation they need to remain competitive worldwide. From construction materials to intermodal, agriculture to automotive, we're working 24/7 to better serve our customers through current supply chain issues and to prepare for future challenges. Click through to see how and why freight rail works.     Follow us

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