With David Beavers and Daniel Lippman
CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER URGES INVESTIGATION INTO ROS-LEHTINEN: The Campaign Legal Center sent a letter to the Justice Department today asking for an investigation into whether former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) broke ethics laws in her work for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, the lobbying firm she joined last year after leaving Congress. Ros-Lehtinen was listed as a “team leader” on Akin Gump’s contract with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which was filed with the DOJ when it was renewed last year.
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— Former lawmakers are legally barred from aiding or advising foreign entities “with the intent to influence a decision of any officer or employee of any department or agency of the United States, in carrying out his or her official duties” for a year after leaving Congress. “If Rep. Ros-Lehtinen directly or indirectly supported any of the services described in the Contract with HKTDC prior to January 2020, she appears to have violated” the law, Brendan Fischer and Delaney Marsco of the Campaign Legal Center write in the letter.
— In a statement, Akin Gump said Ros-Lehtinen didn’t do any work for the council until after the one-year ban was up. “As clearly stated in our public filing with the Department of Justice, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen would not conduct any representation on behalf of the HKTDC until after her restricted period,” the firm said. “She conducted no activity during that restricted period and to date has not performed any FARA activity on behalf of the HKTDC.”
CANCELLATIONS AND LOBBYING AS K STREET CONFRONTS CORONAVIRUS: The Business Roundtable has postponed its CEO innovation summit, scheduled for March 18, due to fears of coronavirus, according to the trade group. It’s not the first such cancellation as Washington grapples with how to respond to the virus: Pernod Ricard postponed a scheduled dinner this week as well.
— Business Roundtable is also setting up a coronavirus task force, chaired by Arne Sorenson of Marriott International and Lance Fritz of Union Pacific. “Business Roundtable CEOs are closely monitoring the coronavirus situation to protect the health and safety of their employees and customers and to mitigate impacts to the U.S. economy,” Josh Bolten, the trade group’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. “They remain confident in our country’s ability to address challenges raised by the outbreak and urge Americans to continue to act with prudence and preparation.”
— Lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry, meanwhile, “successfully blocked attempts this week to include language in the $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus spending bill that would have threatened intellectual property rights for any vaccines and treatments the government decides are priced unfairly,” POLITICO’s Sarah Karlin-Smith reports. “Drug companies’ power to dictate terms as Congress struggles to address the growing U.S. outbreak is another sign of the uphill battle that likely awaits any broader bipartisan drug-pricing legislation. Both Democrats and Republicans have tried and failed in recent months to advance bills that would crack down on costs.”
— “The pharmaceutical industry not only killed the intellectual property provision in the coronavirus package, but it got language added into the bill that prevents the government from delaying a medicine’s development over concerns about its affordability.”
Good afternoon, and welcome to PI. Do you know of trade groups canceling fly-ins or meetings due to coronavirus? Let me know: [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter: @theodoricmeyer.
NEW BUSINESS: The Alliance for Automotive Innovation — a new trade group formed by the recent merger of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers — has hired its first lobbying firm since the two groups joined forces. Hunter Bates, Lauren O’Brien, Ed Pagano, Ryan Thompson and Chris Treanor of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld will lobby on “reasonable fuel efficiency and auto safety standards for automobile industry,” according to a disclosure filing.
— Former Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who registered as a lobbyist for the first time last month, has signed a second lobbying client: the Association of American Publishers. And David Redl, who left the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last year, has registered to lobby on spectrum issues for Comcast. He also lobbies for Facebook on similar issues.
WHITE HOUSE WEIGHS CORONAVIRUS RELIEF EFFORTS: “White House officials are considering deferring taxes for industries hurt by the coronavirus outbreak, including the cruise, travel and airline industries, among other options, two people briefed on the discussions said,” The Washington Post’s Jeff Stein, Rachel Siegel, Heather Long and Erica Werner report. “The talks remain fluid and are preliminary. It’s not clear how such relief deferring taxes to the travel and hospitality sectors would be administered or whether President Trump’s own hotels could be beneficiaries. And administration officials disagree on the extent to which some of these measures could be done without Congress.”
IN MEMORIAM: Steve Farber, a co-founder of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, one of Washington’s top law and lobbying firms, died on Wednesday. He was 76. Based in Denver, Farber was a prominent figure in Colorado politics for decades. He worked on the deals to build the Pepsi Center, where the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche play, and Empower Field at Mile High, the home of the Denver Broncos. He also worked closely with former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to raise the money to bring the Democratic National Convention to Denver. “He and the governor were the two reasons the convention was held in Denver in 2008,” Norm Brownstein, who co-founded Brownstein Hyatt with Farber in 1968 and worked with him for more than 50 years, said in an interview.
— Farber was a top fundraiser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016 and was close to Colorado Democrats including former Gov. Roy Romer, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and former Denver Mayors Wellington Webb and Federico Peña, according to Norm Brownstein. He also helped Norm Brownstein start the firm’s Washington office. He is survived by Cindy Farber, his wife of 48 years; his sons Gregg Farber, Brent Farber and Brad Farber, along with Brent Farber’s wife, Julie, and Brad Farber’s wife, Karly; and six grandchildren.
FEC INVESTIGATION STRAW MAN DONATIONS TO WATKINS: “The Federal Election Commission is investigating potentially improper ‘straw man donations’ to Rep. Steve Watkins’ 2018 campaign that were paid for by his father — the latest political headache for the embattled Kansas Republican,” POLITICO’s Melanie Zanona and John Bresnahan report. “At the heart of the FEC probe is whether Watkins’ father made illegal contributions to boost Watkin’s congressional bid.”
— “Steve Watkins Sr. confirmed in a brief interview with POLITICO that the FEC is investigating him for giving thousands of dollars to his daughters, a home-building contractor and the contractor’s wife, which they then used to max out to Watkins’ campaign. … The elder Watkins — a Topeka-based endocrinologist who also dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into a super PAC to support his son’s election — insisted he didn’t know that what he was doing was illegal. Watkins’ office, meanwhile, said the freshman lawmaker is not under investigation by the FEC.”
IF YOU MISSED IT ON THURSDAY: “Facebook said it will remove ads from President Donald Trump that invoked the U.S. Census when directing people to his reelection campaign’s website, saying they violated policies against causing confusion about the nationwide count,” POLITICO’s Steven Overly reports. The ads “urged people to complete an ‘Official 2020 Congressional District Census’ to help “defeat the Democrats and the FAKE NEWS.” The ad linked to a survey on the Trump campaign’s website that asked people about their political views on issues like immigration, military spending and the economy, before ultimately asking them to donate money to the campaign.”
— Jeff Weiss is leaving Venable to become a partner at Steptoe & Johnson. He worked as the Commerce Department’s deputy director for policy and strategic planning before joining Venable in 2017.
— “Adam Kennedy, who led the White House’s rapid response efforts on impeachment and other crises, including Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle,” is leaving for the private sector, according to two White House officials, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman and Meridith McGraw report.
— Frances Marshall, a former senior counsel for intellectual property in the DOJ’s antitrust division, has joined Apple as senior standards counsel, per Morning Tech.
SPOTTED: At a bash celebrating Peter Mirijanian Public Affairs’ 20th anniversary on Thursday evening at Teddy & the Bully Bar, according to a PI tipster: Lyndon Boozer of Capitol Counsel; Paul Besozzi of Squire Patton Boggs; Tom Quinn of Venable; Ken Nahigian and Keith Nahigian of Nahigian Strategies; Marianne Smith of Rasky Partners; Bud Albright of Albright Strategies; Carl Hulse of The New York Times; former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman; Ivan Adler, the well-known K Street headhunter; Brad Holsclaw of the TCH Group; Sonali Gunawardhana of Shook, Hardy Bacon; and Peter Mirijanian.
Davis Off the Sidelines 2020 (Wendy Davis for Congress, Off the Sidelines PAC)
Delgado Victory Committee (Rep. Antonio Delgado, New York State Democratic Committee)
Granville Victory Committee (Friends of Earl Granville)
Tiffany Victory Fund (Tiffany for Wisconsin, Republican Party of Wisconsin, NRCC)
None
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Alliance for Automotive Innovation
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: OC Oerlikon Management AG
Bockorny Group, Inc.: Diageo North America, Inc.
Bridge Public Affairs, LLC: Tennesseans for Quality Early Education
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Visionary Integration Professionals
Columbia Strategic Counsel: Qylur Intelligent Systems Inc.
Correia & Osolinik: Mackinac Island Convention and Visitors Bureau
David Patrick: Jet1 LLC
Hill & Knowlton Strategies, LLC: Gambit H&K AS on behalf of Aker BioMarine AS
J M Burkman & Associates: Peter Pocklington (760) 861-402
Jeffrey J. Kimbell and Associates: Candid Care Co.
Jeffrey J. Kimbell and Associates: iOR Partners
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: Santa Fe Group
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: American Purchasing Services LLC d/b/a American Medical Depot
Mr. Thomas R. H. Glass: Yellowstone Development LLC
Prime Policy Group: Hill & Knowlton Strategies, LLC on behalf of Aker BioMarine AS
Robert Goodlatte: Association of American Publishers
Salt Point Strategies: Comcast Corporation
Strategic Marketing Innovations: Mabus Group behalf of National Security Solutions Idemia
Zirkelbach Strategies: EO2 Concepts, Inc.
Ballard Partners: Cyxtera Technologies, Inc.
Jeffrey J. Kimbell and Associates: Exact Sciences Corporation
Orlie Yaniv Strategies LLC: Blackridge Technology, Inc.
Orlie Yaniv Strategies LLC: BluVector Inc.
Orlie Yaniv Strategies LLC: Gigamon
