FIRST IN PI — DONNELLY HEADS BACK TO AKIN: Fresh off his tour as President Joe Biden’s ambassador to the Vatican, former Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) is returning to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a senior consultant. Donnelly first joined Akin back in 2019 after losing his reelection bid the year before and served as a partner there until he was confirmed as ambassador to the Holy See in 2022. Donnelly stepped down from the role in July.
— While Donnelly never registered to lobby during his first stint at the firm (he was barred from lobbying his former Hill colleagues for two years), he does plan on lobbying for clients this time around, Akin said.
— According to financial disclosures submitted during his confirmation process, Donnelly’s previous clients at the firm included hedge fund Elliott Management, software giant Salesforce, the Japanese business group Keidanren, pipemaker Vallourec and Amazon.
— “Joe’s return to the firm brings unmatched value to our clients,” Hunter Bates, the co-head of Akin’s lobbying practice, said in a statement, praising Donnelly’s moderate bona fides and “his insights into foreign governments developed during his ambassadorship.”
— Donnelly will join a number of his former Hill colleagues at the firm, including former Reps. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas).
ICYMI — ANOTHER BOEING LOBBYING SHAKEUP: Boeingis on the hunt for a new top lobbyist yet again, Oriana Pawlyk, Daniel and I report. The aviation and aerospace giant has parted ways with Ziad Ojakli after four years amid one of the biggest crises the company has ever faced, according to four people familiar with the decision.
— Ojakli, known as “Z,” took the job in October 2021 after the sudden departure of Tim Keating, who was ousted as the company faced intense scrutiny over the safety of its 737 MAX jets following deadly crashes. Ojakli declined to comment on his departure, but a person close to him said he quit in a disagreement over strategy with the company's new CEO.
— Ojakli, who previously worked for Ford Motor Co. and investment firm SoftBank and served in the Bush White House, had been helping Boeing navigate its most recent major crisis, which occurred after a door plug flew off midair on board a 737 MAX jet earlier this year.
— In an email obtained by us, CEO Kelly Ortberg told staff that Bill McSherry, who leads Boeing’s state and local government affairs team out of Seattle, will lead the company’s government affairs shop on an interim basis.
Happy Monday and welcome to PI, where your host enjoyed her first calm CFP Selection Sunday in years. Send K Street tips, gossip, gripes and more: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.
A message from NFIB:
Congress: Stop the massive tax hike on small businesses. Without Congressional action, 9 out of 10 small businesses will be hit with a massive tax hike next year. This will decimate small businesses' ability to grow, hire, invest in their employees, and give back to their community. Congress needs to make the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent. Learn more at SmallBusinessDeduction.com
WIN SOME, LOSE SOME: The bicameral compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act filed this weekend includes language that aims to block defense contractors from retaining lobbyists or lobbying firms that also represent companies linked to the Chinese military.
— The provision is similar to a bill introduced by Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubioearlier this year to squeeze K Street by forcing companies to choose between securing a contract with the Pentagon or hiring firms whose other clients pose what Rubio said at the time is a “clear conflict of interest.”
— The NDAA language is ultimately narrower than Rubio’s bill, which named a number of federal government blacklists that would subject an organization’s lobbyists to the measure. Still, the Pentagon’s list of Chinese military-linked companies includes many names that should be familiar to PI readers, including genomics firm BGI, telecom companies Huawei and Hikvision, dronemaker DJI, and lidar maker Hesai. Several of those firms are fighting the Pentagon’s designation in court.
— It’s not all bad news for BGI, however. The "BIOSECURE Act," which would block BGI and other Chinese biotech companies from holding federal contracts or working with any federally funded entities, did not make it into the bill despite its overwhelming House passage earlier this fall. Our Ben Leonard reported last month that despite personal lobbying by House Speaker Mike Johnson, the bill faced a major roadblock in the form of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
REALTORS’ DARK MONEY: “The National Association of Realtors — the largest trade organization in the United States — wields substantial influence over the American housing industry. To help hold on to that power, it also runs one of the biggest political action committees,” which is “scrupulously bipartisan,” The New York Times’ Debra Kamin writes.
— “But about five years ago, N.A.R. quietly created an affiliate nonprofit called the American Property Owners Alliance, and its spending tells a different story. While the PAC plays it down the middle, the American Property Owners Alliance appears to have taken a side.”
— “In an examination of the American Property Owners Alliance’s tax records, The New York Times found that the nonprofit — which is solely funded by N.A.R. — distributed $12.8 million in grants in its first four years. Nearly $10 million went to Republican-aligned super PACs and groups with conservative agendas,” hardly any of which list housing issues among their priorities.
— Experts said that contribution history “appears politically motivated and out of step with the American Property Owners Alliance’s stated mission as a nonpartisan nonprofit,” a notion the group denies, but it “also raises questions about N.A.R.’s reason for establishing the American Property Owners Alliance.”
PINCHUK EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH CONWAY: Longtime Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway has extended her contract to lobby for the personal foundation of Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk until the end of the year, according to documents filed with the Justice Department last month.
— Conway, one of the architects of Trump’s 2016 campaign and a former top aide in his White House, first registered to represent Pinchuk’s foundation beginning in July to advocate on “the importance of Ukraine to the rules-based order and the protection of democratic principles” and raise awareness among U.S. “decision makers” of Russia’s “illegal war of aggression,” according to a filing. While Pinchuk was a private citizen, Conway said in the filing, the “principal beneficiary” of her work would be the Ukrainian government.
— Conway was also tasked with working to get U.S. lawmakers and power players to attend or participate in a September security conference organized by Pinchuk. The conference did indeed include a number of high-profile Americans, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a bipartisan delegation of House members who traveled on the conference’s dime and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
— Even Trump himself filmed a congratulatory video message complimenting Conway’s work for the foundation and vowing “peace” between Russia and Ukraine “before I ever enter the White House.”
— The $50,000-per-month agreement was set to end on Nov. 14 unless extended, and a copy of the extension filed with DOJ shows Conway signed it on Nov. 15 — a little more than a week after Trump became president-elect.
CONFLICTED PICKS: New reporting over the past few days drills down on the ethical quagmires facing half a dozen of Trump’s Cabinet and administration picks. This morning, the Wall Street Journal’s Dominique Mosbergen reports that the lightly regulated supplement industry “was thrilled about the incoming administration’s unusual embrace of its products and had found an ideal ally in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice for Health and Human Services secretary.”
— In addition to Kennedy’s support for the industry, Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Janette Nesheiwat, “sells her own line of vitamins. Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, recommended pills on Truth Social in February that he said could ‘rid your body of the harms’ from Covid-19 vaccines.” And “Mehmet Oz, the TV personality whom Trump named to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, promotes supplements sold by online retailer iHerb.”
— Over the weekend, our Hailey Fuchs noted that some of the same corporate clients Pam Bondi’s lobbying firm represents “are squaring off against the Department of Justice she’s poised to lead. And corporate interests are cautiously optimistic that her selection will shepherd in an administration more friendly to their interests than” that of Biden’s presidency.
— Bondi has yet to resign from Ballard Partners, which has received thousands of dollars this year from companies like UnitedHealthcare and TikTok with business before DOJ. Her confirmation as attorney general would “pose a myriad of ethical questions about what kind of access she will grant her firm and whether she will recuse herself from issues involving Ballard.”
THE KOCHS’ CHEVRON CRUSADE: This summer’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down the decades-old precedent known as Chevron deference was the culmination of a yearslong push by a network of groups related to or funded by the billionaire Charles Koch and his late brother David to chip away at federal regulatory power, The Washington Post’s Justin Jouvenal, Jon Swaine and Ann E. Marimow write in a new deep dive.
— “Koch-funded charities pumped nearly $18 million in recent years into the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) and Cause of Action, the public interest firms that brought the lawsuits” that ultimately resulted in Chevron getting overturned.
— “The battle against Chevron was often publicly portrayed as the saga of a group of scrappy fishermen taking on the federal government. Behind the scene, NCLA and Cause of Action drove the case, identifying the regulation to challenge, recruiting plaintiffs and drafting one lawsuit before the regulations went into effect.”
A message from NFIB:
Jobs report
— The Federation of American Hospitals has promoted Don May to executive vice president of policy and head of the policy team and Tilithia McBride to senior vice president of policy for quality, patient safety and public health. May is currently senior vice president of policy, and McBride is currently vice president of policy. FAH also added Alyssa Keefe as senior vice president of policy for entitlement programs. Keefe was most recently with CommonSpirit Health.
— Chris Gray has joined the third-party public engagement team at Citi as a senior vice president, where he’ll manage relationships with center-right think tanks and advocacy groups. He was previously vice president in the Office of Strategic Engagement at the American Bankers Association and is a Trump administration alum.
— Sarah Alspach is now executive vice president and chief communications officer for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. She previously was senior vice president of external affairs at bluebird bio.
— Nicole deSibour Rodgers is now senior director at Clark Hill Public Strategies, the lobbying arm of the law firm Clark Hill. She will remain executive director of the Alliance for Mineral Security.
— John Commerford is now interim executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. He previously was chief of operations for the group’s lobbying and policy arm.
— Former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) will become board chair of the Senate Leadership Fund as the Senate GOP super PAC searches for a new president and CEO to replace Steven Law, Punchbowl reports.
— Brandon Mooney is joining energy and environmental consulting firm CO2EFFICIENT as a vice president. He most recently was deputy chief counsel for House Energy and Commerce Republicans.
— Amber Beck has joined U.S. Bank as director of public policy, per Morning Money. She was most recently deputy staff director and chief counsel for Senate Banking Committee Republicans.
— Wendy Atobatele is now an account manager at Global Situation Room. She previously was at SKDK.
— Julia Horman Grocholl joined KDCRPartners as a content and communications specialist. She was previously a legislative assistant and press secretary for Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho).
New Joint Fundraisers
None.
New PACs
Arrhythmia Intervention Society, Inc. Political Action Committee (AIS PAC) (PAC)
Climate Emergency Voters PAC (Super PAC)
New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS
Avoq, LLC: Gci Communication Corp.
Ballard Partners: Aecom
Ballard Partners: Compass Connections/Compass United
Ballard Partners: Roberto Perez
Ballard Partners: Vorex USa, LLC
Culton Consulting LLC: City Of Airway Heights
Da Vinci Group: Eastern Airline Holdings
Ernst & Young LLP (Washington Council Ernst & Young): Linden Trust For Conservation
Farragut Partners LLP: Cytokinetics Inc.
J M Burkman & Associates: Pressure Partners
Smith Advocacy Group, LLC: Accelerate Strategies LLC On Behalf Of Pacific H2 LLC
Yc Consulting, LLC: Dispose Rx, Inc.
New Lobbying Terminations
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Aarp
Watkins & Eager Pllc: City Of Clinton
Watkins & Eager Pllc: City Of Louisville
Watkins & Eager Pllc: City Of Petal
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Clinton Raymond Bolton Wastewater Authority
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Forrest County Board Of Supervisors
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Forrest-Lamar Alliance
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Harmony Biosciences
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Mercy House Adult And Teen Challenge
Watkins & Eager Pllc: Natchez, Inc.
Watkins & Eager Pllc: National Fragile X Foundation
Watkins & Eager Pllc: The Coalition Of Residential Excellence (Core)
A message from NFIB:
Congress: Stop the massive tax hike on small businesses.
Small businesses are the foundation of the U.S. economy. Without Congressional action, 9 out of 10 small businesses will be hit with a massive tax hike next year. This will decimate small businesses' ability to grow, hire, provide for their employees, and give back to their community.
As part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress cut corporate taxes permanently but made the 20% Small Business Deduction temporary. Allowing the 20% Small Business Deduction to expire would hurt the kinds of small businesses we should be supporting. Congress has already given permanent tax relief to big companies. They must do the same for America’s 30 million small businesses.
Congress needs to make the Small Business Deduction permanent and help level the playing field between small businesses and their large, corporate competitors.
