| | | | |  | | By Hailey Fuchs | Presented by Walmart | With Daniel Lippman BAHRAIN ADDS BROWNSTEIN: The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain has enlisted the lobbying giant Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to boost relations with the U.S., according to new filings with the Department of Justice. — Amid a war and rising tensions in the Middle East, Bahrain has sought to align itself with the U.S. It is the only Arab country to take part in the multinational program to address the threat of Houthis rebels to shipping in the Red Sea. Other countries joining include Canada, Norway and the Netherlands, according to an announcement from the Defense Department in December. — After it had joined the agreement, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris on improving U.S.-Bahrain relations. On Thursday, Bahrain supported the effort to strike Houthi targets in Yemen. — In 2020, Bahrain celebrated the normalization of its relations with Israel at the White House with then-President Donald Trump. — According to filings with the Department of Justice, the team aiding Bahrain will include former GOP Rep. Ed Royce, a one-time chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; former Democratic Sen. Mark Begich; Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) former chief of staff Brian McGuire; and Democratic fundraiser Alfred Mottur, among others. — Starting Jan. 1, Brownstein will “[p]rovide government relations services and strategic counsel on matters before the U.S. Government,” according to a filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The firm’s monthly retainer is $65,000. — In a statement, Mimi Burke, a senior policy adviser at Brownstein who will also work on the account, affirmed that the firm would assist and counsel Bahrain around engagement with Congress and the executive branch. — “Bahrain is a key ally of the United States, and Brownstein will provide strategic support as the Kingdom looks to further enhance cooperation with the U.S. across a range of areas as outlined in the many agreements that bind the two countries, the most recent of which being the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement signed last year,” Burke said. — The firm's clients already include Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The Bahrain Embassy did not return a request for comment. Happy FARA Friday, and welcome to PI! What a week. My name is Hailey Fuchs, and I cover money and influence for Politico. I’ll be your host of Politico Influence today, and Marcia Brown will be helming the newsletter on Tuesday. (We’re off on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.) Send us tips at hfuchs@politico.com and mbrown@politico.com, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Hailey_Fuchs and @marcia_brown9.
| | A message from Walmart: Walmart is committed to helping our associates live better. With benefits like paid parental leave and opportunities to earn a degree for free, every associate can build the career they want. In fact, Walmart has covered tuition for over 126,000 full- and part-time associates so far. Learn why it pays to work at Walmart. | | | FIRST IN PI — Lawyers representing One America News Network owner Herring Networks are seeking information from a number of public affairs firms that it believes have worked with electronic voting systems company Smartmatic, as they defend a defamation lawsuit that says OAN made knowingly false comments on-air about the company after the 2020 election, Daniel reports. Herring Networks is fighting the lawsuit and unsuccessfully tried to move it in 2022 from Washington to California, where it is based. In a court filing made public last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, OAN’s lawyers requested information from the firms Issues & Crisis Group, Scott Circle Communications, SEC Newgate, Courtney Torres Consulting, Jake Perry + Partners, Stripe Reputation and Edelman. OAN wanted information from all the firms related to “[t]he facts and circumstances concerning Smartmatic’s public relations strategy to rehabilitate its reputation and influence opinion.” The court has not yet ruled on if or when the firms have to provide the information. A trial date for the case has not been set but there’s a scheduling hearing set for this May. A spokesperson for Edelman said in a statement: “Smartmatic has not been a client since before the 2020 election.” Smartmatic and Stripe Reputation declined to comment, while spokespeople for other firms either didn’t respond to requests for comment or referred PI to a lawyer representing them, who didn’t respond. The move to ask for the information from the PR and other firms is part of OAN’s search for any evidence to help defend itself to try to prove that Smartmatic hadn’t suffered grievous harm to its reputation. The voting machine company is also pursuing similar lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax. Chip Babcock, the lead lawyer for OAN and a partner at Jackson Walker, told PI in a short interview that “we think it’s important to learn what the public relations firms thought about Smartmatic’s reputation even before the broadcasts at issue and, of course, Smartmatic’s role as a public figure in this important controversy.” TAX CUT GALORE: Jeff Stein of The Washington Post reports that Trump is mulling a corporate tax cut for a potential second term. — “Donald Trump’s campaign team says the former president would prioritize cutting taxes for working-class families and small businesses if he returns to the White House. But privately, Trump has told allies that he is keenly interested in cutting corporate tax rates again, according to two people who have spoken with Trump in recent months.” — “Three of Trump’s senior economic policy advisers also said privately that they see the corporate tax cut as an enormous success and believe it should be expanded in a second term. These people spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private conversations.” — “The difference between Trump’s private comments on corporate taxes and his campaign’s position underscores how the former president frequently governed as a traditional pro-business Republican despite campaigning as a populist outsider. Trump is campaigning on reversing the inflation that has persisted during Biden’s administration and bringing financial relief to lower- and middle-class families, but Democrats believe much of his first-term record on the economy — and in particular the tax cuts — makes him vulnerable.” EXXON EXITS: Exxon Mobil is out of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, E&E News’ Corbin Hiar reports. — “Exxon Mobil has ended its membership with the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a trade group known for aggressively opposing government attempts to rein in the oil industry, in part due to a disagreement over climate policy.” — “The oil giant announced its split with IPAA in a 2022 climate lobbying review, which hasn’t been previously reported. The company Monday quietly posted online the shareholder-requested analysis.” BACK ON THE HILL: Some former members of Congress who were temporarily barred from lobbying their colleagues are now allowed to do so, Bloomberg Government’s Kate Ackley reports. — “House members who left at the end of the last Congress recently hit a significant milestone for those yearning to get back to Capitol Hill: They are no longer prohibited from lobbying the legislative branch.” — “Many of them, including [Illinois Republican Rodney] Davis, had already set up shop in the influence sector, but they were not permitted to make direct lobbying contacts to members and staff in the House and Senate. This week offered them their first unfettered days with Congress back in session.” — “As soon as his ban expired, officially on Jan. 3, Davis said he began calling his former colleagues to set up visits.”
| | | | A message from Walmart:   | | | | | — John Mize is now CEO at Americans United for Life. He most recently was EVP for business development at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. — Lelaine Bigelow will be executive director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. She previously was VP of social impact and congressional relations at the National Partnership for Women and Families, and is an Obama HUD and Hill alum. — Darren Van’t Hof is now chair of the Solar Energy Industries Association’s board. He is managing director of environmental finance for U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance. — Jim Bridenstine will join the board of directors at Starlab Space, the joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus. Bridenstine is a former GOP member of Congress and was NASA administrator during the Trump administration. — Peraton today named new advisory board members: Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the former Defense Intelligence Agency director; former National Security Agency Deputy Director George Barnes; Lisa Porter, DOD’s former deputy undersecretary for research and engineering; and retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the former chief of U.S. Central Command. — Owen Drexel, who was an intern for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), is now legislative assistant at the firm Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid. — Ashley Gray and Ashila Jiwani have joined Sirona Strategies as a vice president and director, respectively. — The American Cleaning Institute has promoted Kristin DiNicolantonio to senior director, stakeholder communications. She was previously director, stakeholder communications. The institute has also promoted Brennan Georgianni from director, state government affairs to senior director, state government affairs. Merla Zollinger has also been promoted from senior director, convention & meetings to associate vice president, meetings. Vittoria van Blommestein, a 2023 George Washington University grad, is also now program coordinator, public affairs at the institute.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES® 2024: We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show. | | | | | | | | | None.
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| | New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS | | Sarah Blackwood Government Relations, LLC: Birla Carbon U.S.A. Monument Advocacy: Helion Forbes-Tate: Healthy.io (US), Inc. Forbes-Tate: Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany Net Centric Alliance LLC: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP OBO Bruno Independent Living Aids,Inc Leolabs, Inc.: Leolabs, Inc. S-3 Group: National Capitol Contracting LLC North Star Strategies, LLC: Kentucky Lithium LLC The Majority Group, LLC: PennyMac Loan Services, LLC United Aerial Firefighters Association: United Aerial Firefighters Association Horizon Government Affairs: Integrity Marketing Group Green Mountain Strategies LLC DC: DCI Donor Services The Vogel Group: Sharda USA Federal Health Policy Strategies: Find Solace, Inc. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Revive Environmental Technology, LLC Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: American AgCredit, FLCA West Front Strategies LLC: Cigar Association of America West Front Strategies LLC: Coalition Of Manufacturers of Smoking Alternatives Polaris Government Relations, LLC: Viiz, Inc. Polaris Government Relations, LLC: RealPage, Inc
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | | | New Lobbying Terminations | | | Velos (Formerly Pinnacle Engineering And Management Solutions): BridgeComm, Inc. Velos (Formerly Pinnacle Engineering And Management Solutions): Kratos LeBlanc Government Relations, LLC: Pacific Northwest Waterways Association LeBlanc Government Relations, LLC: City Of Fife, WA Bayard Ridge Group, LLC: Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council Huxley Rock LLC: Omar Harfouch Huxley Rock LLC: GovBiz, Advantage, Inc. (For Fortress) Huxley Rock LLC: GovBiz, Advantage, Inc. (For Radia) Dentons US LLP: Holland & Knight (on behalf of Aerofarms, LLC) Dentons US LLP: Holland & Knight (on behalf of Boston Metal) Forbes-Tate: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Forbes-Tate: Horizon Therapeutics Cansler Consulting, LLC: Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology Jakub Stanger Kraus: Center For AI Policy, Inc. Squire Patton Boggs: Invacare Corporation Hogan Lovells US LLP: Hospice Action Network Polsinelli PC: JE Dunn Construction Compass Management Partners, Inc.: The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland Owen Evans Ingols: Business Roundtable Owen Evans Ingols: MP Materials Capitol Resource Group: Zero Eyes
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