Forty lobbyists connected to President Trump
Donald John Trump Trump’s second term plans remain a mystery to the Republican Party Trump to hold an outdoor rally in New Hampshire on Saturday Eighty-eight years of debt mercy MORE They have been hired to lobby on COVID-19 related issues since the pandemic and obtained more than $ 10 billion in coronavirus relief aid for clients, according to a new report from progressive surveillance group Public Citizen.
The 40 lobbyists represented at least 150 clients, 27 of whom received $ 10.5 billion in collective aid, and 14 of which are companies working on vaccines, therapies, or testing. Lobbyists worked on the Trump campaign, the inaugural committee, the transition team, or the administration.
Brownstein Hyatt Faber Schreck is one of the firms mentioned in the report. He has signed at least 45 clients to work on issues related to COVID-19.
Emily Felder, former director of the Legislation Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Trump, and Geoff Burr, former chief of staff to the Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao
Elaine Lan Chao, the Democratic senator, will present a bill requiring social distancing on flights after flying in a packed airplane. Sanders calls for social distancing, masks, and disinfection on planes as flights operate at full capacity. Pence heads 16 new citizens at the naturalization ceremony prior to Independence Day MORE, are among the firm’s lobbyists working on some of these contracts.
Trump issued an executive order when he took office that prohibits former administration officials from pressuring the agency or office where they worked for five years and prohibits former political appointees from pressuring the administration during the time that Trump was in office. .
“We are confident that our lobbyists will abide by all applicable lobbying rules and prohibitions and did not violate their promise by the Trump Administration. Furthermore, none of these individuals has pressured the Executive Branch. These people are allowed to lobby the Senate or the House of Representatives and the LDA reflects that, “a Brownstein spokesperson told The Hill.
In a letter to the U.S. Government Ethics Office and other agencies on Monday, Public Citizen called for an investigation into whether five former Trump administration officials, including Felder and Burr, violated Trump’s promise of ethics during the coronavirus pandemic.
The other three officials mentioned in the letter are Courtney Lawrence, a former deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services who now works at Cigna; Shannon McGahn, former adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin
Steven Terner MnuchinCongress Considers Tighter Restrictions in Next Round of Small Business Aid On The Money: Breaking Down the June Employment Report | The biggest threats facing recovery | What will the next stimulus bill include? On The Money: Economy adds 4.8M jobs in June | Unemployment at an average of 6.1 percent until 2030: CBO | Mnuchin says he doesn’t regret pressing to reopen MORE who now works for the National Association of Real Estate Agents (NAR); and Jordan Stoick, a former senior adviser to the Treasury who now works at the National Manufacturers Association (NAM).
“NAR takes its disclosure requirements and lobbying ethics seriously. NAR and its employees fully comply with the LDA’s post-government employment restrictions, as well as with Trump’s promise of ethics, “a NAR spokesperson told The Hill.
NAM General Counsel Linda Kelly said the claim that Stoick violated the promise of ethics was misleading and irresponsible.
“Jordan Stoick never pressured the Treasury during his time at the NAM. The NAM carefully adheres to the legal and ethical standards that govern lobbying, including ensuring that its employees comply with all applicable prohibitions to contact their former employers, “he told The Hill in a statement.
The White House and Cigna did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the report.
The report mentions that Brian Ballard, former president of Trump Victory, was hired by American Health Associates, which provides mobile laboratory services to nursing homes. His firm, Ballard Partners, did not comment on The Hill about the report.
Robert Grand of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, who was on Trump’s inaugural committee, was hired by Envigo RMS Holding Corp, which works on research tools for the coronavirus, the report noted.
“Are you also working on a story about [Joe] Biden supporters who are lobbying? Grand told The Hill in response to the report.
Public Citizen did not comment in response to The Hill on this question.
Jessica Tocco of A10 Associates, who worked on Trump’s transition, was hired by GreyScan, which is developing a mobile COVID-19 detection device, the report noted. Tocco did not comment on the report.
Aaron Szabo of the CGCN Group, who was senior advisor to the White House Environmental Quality Council under Trump, was hired by Hazmat TSDF Inc., which is working on issues related to cleaning materials from coronavirus.
CGCN told The Hill that Szabo was a member of the White House staff and worked under Presidents Trump and Obama.
The report also mentions other lobbyists hired to work on coronavirus issues, including Robert Wasinger of McGuire Woods Consulting, who was director of the Senate and government outreach for the 2016 Trump campaign; S-3’s Robert Collins, who worked with the White House on the Supreme Court of Justice Neil Gorsuch
Neil Gorsuch Top Five Cases Awaiting Supreme Court Decisions Supreme Court Hands Beat Religious Schools Trump’s Mark in Federal Courts Could Last MOREconfirmation from and David Urban of the American Continental Group, who is a member of the Trump 2020 advisory committee.
Miller’s strategies Jeff Miller
Jefferson (Jeff) Bingham Miller Should we shell out the VA too? How to celebrate Memorial Day during a global pandemic The Purple Heart Awards highlight the need for continued focus on invisible wounds MORE, vice chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee; Barry Bennett of Avenue Strategies, former senior advisor to Trump’s 2016 campaign; and Jared Sawyer of Rich Feuer Anderson LLC, a former deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury Department under Trump, were also mentioned in the report.
These lobbyists did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
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