Tag: lobbyists

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‘You’re Fired!’ Trump Camp Puts a Big Fat Boot in the Rear of DC’s Most Spoiled Group of Elites: Lobbyists

The Celebrity Apprentice

BY MIKE MILLER

One of the rallying cries of Donald Trump throughout the campaign was “Drain the Swamp!” Trump vowed that, if elected, he would rid Washington, D.C., of lobbyists and special interests. On Tuesday, Vice President-elect Mike Pence took the first step.

As reported by NBC News, Pence, who replaced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as head of the Trump transition team, has ordered the removal of all lobbyists from the team—to bring the transition more in line with the “drain the swamp” pledge.

The Hill reports that Trump had been under fire for having “roughly a dozen registered lobbyists working in and around the transition team.”

Those lobbyists included Rob Collins of S-3 Group, Mike Catanzaro at CGCN Group, Martin Whitmer of Whitmer & Worrall, J. Steven Hart at Williams & Jensen and tobacco company Altria’s Cindy Hayden, among others.

In addition to the removal of lobbyists, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), once seen as a candidate to lead the CIA, had also left the Trump transition team. Rogers had been told that those brought on by Christie were being let go, the Journal reported.

Apparently , Pence’s move was ‘in the nick of time.’

https://ijr.com/wildfire/2016/11/737448-trump-camp-busts-out-first-youre-fired-as-vice-president-elect-pence-boots-lobbyists-from-transition-team/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

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Trenton : Destroying New Jersey over Steak Dinners

Pay-for-Play

Are the days of wining and dining over at N.J. Statehouse?

The Auditor noticed that lobbyists last year spent about $70 million to sway public officials and public opinion – the second highest amount in state history. But precious little of that money went toward wining, dining and entertaining state bigwigs. Lobbyists paid only $2,439 in 2015 on meals, trips and entertainment in 2015. And officials wrote a check and paid lobbyists back for nearly $500 of these funds. The Auditor, NJ.com Read more

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Television News Network Lobbyists Are Fundraising for Hillary Clinton

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Oct. 29 2015,
Lee Fang

Over the last two presidential debates, both Democratic and Republican candidates have asserted that the television news media is biased and has done a poor job informing voters of the most pressing issues in the election.

And while their focus is on things like the type of questions asked by debate moderators, they are overlooking much clearer signs of potential conflicts of interest. Fundraising disclosures released this month and in July reveal that lobbyists for media companies are raising big money for establishment presidential candidates, particularly Hillary Clinton.

The giant media companies that shape much of the coverage of the presidential campaign have a vested stake in the outcome. From campaign finance laws that govern how money is spent on advertising to the regulators who oversee consolidation rules, the media industry has a distinct policy agenda, and with it, a political team to influence the result.

The top fundraisers for Clinton include lobbyists who serve the parent companies of CNN and MSNBC.

The National Association of Broadcasters, a trade group that represents the television station industry, has lobbyists who are fundraising for both Clinton and Republican candidate Marco Rubio.

Presidential campaigns are obligated by law to send the Federal Election Commission a list of lobbyists who serve as “bundlers,” collecting hundreds of individual checks on behalf of a candidate’s campaign.

CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, is represented on Capitol Hill by SteveElmendorf, an adviser to Clinton during her 2008 campaign, who is also known as “one of Washington’s top lobbyists.” He’s lobbied on a number of issues important for media companies like CNN, including direct-to-consumer advertising policy.

Elmendorf, according to disclosures, has raised at least $141,815 for Clinton’s 2016 bid for the presidency.

Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal, which includes cable networks NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC, has a number of lobbyists on retainer who are working to raise cash for the Clinton campaign, including Justin Gray, Alfred Mottur, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino.

Much of the $5 billion expected to be spent over the course of the 2016 presidential election cycle will be on cable and network news advertisements. The election-related spending bonanza is singularly boosting the profit margins of many media companies, as we’ve reported.

“Super PACs may be bad for America, but they’re very good for CBS,” LesMoonves, president and chief executive of CBS, memorably said.

 

https://theintercept.com/2015/10/29/media-fundraisers-presidential/