| | | | |  | | By Daniel Lippman and Caitlin Oprysko | | Presented by |  | | | FIRST IN PI: A conservative watchdog group is raising questions about whether Maryland Democratic Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks used state campaign funds to finance the early start of her Senate campaign, according to a complaint filed Wednesday, Daniel reports. — On May 9, 2023, Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, announced her bid for Senate and filed a statement of organization for her principal Senate campaign committee, Alsobrooks for Senate, with the FEC. — Alsobrooks was not on the ballot in 2023 and was term-limited in her county executive position, but the group that filed the FEC complaint, Americans for Public Trust, uncovered four fundraising expenses that her state fundraising committee, Friends of Angela Alsobrooks, made after her Senate announcement. — In its latest annual campaign statement for her state committee, the entity said it had paid a total of almost $18,000 between June and October 2023 to Rice Consulting LLC, which describes itself as “Maryland’s top fundraising firm for Democrats and organizations.” Despite paying $66,000 in consulting fees to their fundraising firm Rice Consulting in 2023, the state campaign committee only raised $560 that year. — Alsobrooks held or attended at least seven fundraising events for her Senate campaign in May and June of last year, including an EMILY’s List event in New York City, and a Georgetown fundraiser hosted by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 22. That same day, Alsobrooks’ state campaign committee paid Rice Consulting a total of nearly $17,000 in two separate expenditures. Five fundraisers for Alsobrooks’ Senate campaign in May and June are listed on an archived version of Rice Consulting’s events page. — Americans for Public Trust is alleging that such expenditures may be violations of federal campaign finance laws that prohibit the use of state or local campaign funds from being used in connection with a federal campaign. — Only after hundreds of thousands of dollars had been raised in support of her Senate campaign did Alsobrooks’ Senate campaign committee make its first disbursements for “fundraising consulting” on June 30, 2023, including to Rice Consulting. — Alsobrooks spokesperson Connor Lounsbury said that none of her state campaign funds, including the $17,000 paid to Rice Consulting after her Senate launch, were used in connection with her Senate campaign. — “This was money spent by Angela’s state committee as part of a regular cadence of payments to Rice, which has handled her county campaign fundraising, compliance, and consulting for years, for services rendered prior to her federal campaign launch and solely in connection with state campaign committee activity,” he said in an email. Lounsbury did not provide any documentation about what the money paid for when asked for it. — But he sent PI a link to FEC records and an itemized breakdown of payments totaling more than $90,000 to campaign fundraising employees and consultants that he said planned and executed the fundraising events for her Senate campaign in May and June of last year. Rice Consulting did not respond to a request for comment. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. What’s going on out there? Let us know: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | A message from eBay: Why do people trust eBay? It’s because we’ve invested billions into creating a seamless buying experience, backed by dozens of guarantees and programs that boost consumer confidence. By increasing trust in the small businesses that rely on us, we’ve transformed the original find-anything site into America’s go-to small business platform. Learn more about our innovations at eBaysmallbiz.com. | | | FIRST IN PI — PHARMACISTS LAUNCH PBM BLITZ: The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is pouring seven figures into a new ad campaign imploring Congress to pass legislation cracking down on pharmacy benefit managers before the end of the year. — The campaign includes digital ads as well as cable TV spots that will air nationally and inside the Beltway. The spot features Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) at an event with NACDS members in March declaring that reining in the pharmaceutical middlemen “must happen now.” — “It’s time for Congress to reduce patients’ drug costs, to stop PBMs from forcing pharmacies to fill prescriptions at a loss,” NACDS President and CEO Steven Anderson said in a statement. — The NACDS campaign is the latest volley in a back-and-forth between pharmacists and drugmakers and the PBM industry over who bears more blame for the high cost of drugs. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents PBMs, kicked off its own six-figure ad blitz this month to try and head off a year-end legislative push targeting the industry, with a PCMA spokesperson signaling there’ll be more to come from the group. ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: An industry group launched last year that has been vocal in opposing Biden administration regulations — including the fishing regulation at the heart of an imminent Supreme Court ruling that could gut the administrative state by overturning the decadesold legal doctrine known as Chevron deference — received a six-figure donation early on in its existence from one of the big-money nonprofits linked to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo, according to tax filings. — The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association launched last year to fight against fishing regulations. The group filed an amicus brief in November in support of the plaintiffs in Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, a case challenging a commercial fishing rule that the high court heard oral arguments for in January. — The court’s conservative justices appeared likely to overturn the 40-year-old Chevron precedent, a major priority for conservatives including Leo. A decision is due before the court breaks for the summer either this month or next. — New tax filings flagged by liberal watchdog group Accountable.US show that around the time NEFSA was formed, the group received a $573,000 donation from the Concord Fund, a key piece of Leo’s network of affiliated dark money groups. The filings cover the Concord Fund’s finances through June 2023. — In addition to the amicus brief, NEFSA’s leaders pushed for a ruling against the Biden administration in the days leading up to oral arguments and held a rally outside the court on the day of oral arguments. — “We are very pleased that the Concord Fund wants to support America’s struggling fishing community, but the grant from Concord to NEFSA predates the Supreme Court even being asked to review the Relentless case,” NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman said in response to questions about the contribution. “Through a lawless monitoring program, and other regulations, NOAA is creating an existential threat to the livelihood of current and future generations of American fishermen, driving them off the water and out of business.” — Leo’s network also has other ties to the push to overturn Chevron deference. The New Civil Liberties Alliance, which represents the plaintiffs in the Relentless case, received $1 million from the Leo-linked nonprofit the 85 Fund in 2020, according to tax returns. And other beneficiaries of the Concord Fund, including Advancing American Freedom and the Independent Women’s Law Center, have filed amicus briefs in the case. TURKISH GROUPS WOO BOWMAN: “Turkish groups tied to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have been looking to expand their influence in New York. One of their latest targets is Jamaal Bowman, a two-term House incumbent facing a tough reelection campaign north of New York City,” per our Joe Anuta. — “Members of the Turkish American Steering Committee — an organization representing the interests of the Turkish government and parts of its American diaspora — have visited Bowman in Washington, hosted a food distribution event attended by the two-term lawmaker and thrown a fundraiser for him.” — “Though the contributions to Bowman only total nearly $40,000 from 16 donors — a small fraction of his haul this cycle — they are another example of Turkey’s effort to expand its reach in the world of U.S. politics. Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign is under federal investigation over potential collusion with the Turkish government. A grand jury is mulling the case and at least one person close to the mayor has received a subpoena.”
| | — Allison Nielsen is joining Firehouse Strategies as a senior vice president. She previously served as director of strategic communications at FGS Global and is an American Gaming Association and Hill alum. Firehouse also promoted Matthew Schantin from assistant vice president to vice president. — Touchdown Strategies has acquired the strategic content agency YSPK. YSPK founder and creative director Joel Walker will join Touchdown Strategies as senior vice president to lead the new digital and creative services team. — Brandon Butler has joined Re:Create as executive director. He is also a partner at the boutique law firm Jaszi Butler PLLC, where he focuses on copyright law. — Camelback Strategy Group is launching a new national campaign services firm, Sandpiper Strategies. Rick Gorka will be president of both, and Sandpiper Strategies is bringing on longtime GOP political operative Chris Carr as senior adviser, Will Sexauer as political director, Derek Weech as political and data director and Tyler Granato as deputy political director. — Sara Akbar is now senior director of legislative affairs and technology policy at the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum. She was previously director of government affairs at Recorded Future.
| | | | A message from eBay:   | | | | | 2024 Copper State Victory (Rep. Ruben Gallego, Liftoff PAC, Arizona Democratic Party) Alsobrooks Casey Victory Fund (Sen. Bob Casey, Alsobrooks for Senate, Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland, Pennsylvania Democratic Party) John Avlon Victory Fund (John Avlon for Congress, New York State Democratic Committee) NC STRONG BUCKHOUT, HARRIGAN, KNOTT, MCDOWELL, MOORE (Laurie Buckhout for Congress, The Pat Harrigan Committee, Brad Knott for Congress, McDowell for Congress, Friends of Tim Moore, NRCC)
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| | New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS | | Bold Strategies, LLC: Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority West Capitol Ventures Government Relations, LLC: Trina Solar US Dga Group Government Relations LLC (Formerly Dentons Global Advisors Government Relations LLC): University Of Southern California Empire Consulting Group: Exxon Mobil Corp. Hither Creek Strategies, LLC: Gdx Corporation Hogan Lovells US LLP: Legend Biotech Corporation Hogan Policy Advisors: Blackstone Monument Advocacy: Puget Sound Energy Navigators Global LLC (Formerly Dc Navigators, LLC): Occidental Petroleum Corporation O’Neill And Associates: Caribbean Connections Equitable Research Phronesisdc, LLC: American Council Of Life Insurers Phronesisdc, LLC: American Property Owners Alliance Phronesisdc, LLC: Crypto Council For Innovation Phronesisdc, LLC: Koch Government Affairs Phronesisdc, LLC: Lmax Group Phronesisdc, LLC: National Association Of Realtors Phronesisdc, LLC: Verizon Communications Phronesisdc, LLC: Visa Inc. Spirit Aerosystems, Inc.: Spirit Aerosystems, Inc. Torridon Law Pllc: Stephens Inc. Twinlogic Strategies, LLP: Travel Tech: The Travel Technology Association
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | | Innovative Advocacy LLC: Tst, Inc.
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