Podesta Group

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Podesta Group, Inc.
Private
Industry Government and public relations
Founded 1988
Founders
Headquarters Washington, DC
Key people
 Kimberley Fritts, CEO
Number of employees
 70
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The Podesta Group is a lobbying and public affairs firm based in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1988 by brothers John Podesta and Tony Podesta and has previously been known as Podesta Associates, podesta.com and PodestaMattoon.[1][2] John Podesta left the firm in 1993,[3] and Tony Podesta left the firm on October 30 2017, after finding out about increased scrutiny of the firm.[4] The firm most recently reorganized in January 2007 after current Chairman Tony Podesta split with former business partner Dan Mattoon.[2]

File:Adam Schiff, Maria Karras, and Heather Podesta.jpg
Congressman Adam Schiff and lobbyist Heather Podesta at a party hosted by the Podesta Group in Washington, D.C.

Podesta Group represents American corporations as well as non-profits and governments, and has "close ties to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration",[5] although its CEO Kimberley Fritts was identified in 2015 by the group as "a fixture in Republican politics", having worked for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.[citation needed]

The firm reported earning $27.4 million in lobbying fees in 2011.[6] In 2007, Chairman Tony Podesta was ranked by his peers as the third most influential lobbyist in Washington.[7]

Lobbying and public affairs activities

The Podesta Group acts as a lobbyist for Egypt on US policies of concern, activities in Congress and the executive branch, and developments on the US political scene generally, according to forms filed with the Department of Justice in 2009.[5][8]

Tony Podesta (left) with Senator Kay Hagan (center) and husband Chip (right) at a 2009 party hosted by Podesta Group

They also received $900,000 in revenue in 2011–2012 from the Brussels-based European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU), a group sympathetic to then–Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions.[9] As of October 2017, the Podesta Group is reported to be under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for potentially violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act in the course of its work for the ECMU. The Podesta Group was one of six lobbying firms that participated in a 2012–2014 public relations campaign organized by former Donald Trump presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort on behalf of the ECMU and Ukraine's pro-Russian Party of Regions; the campaign was reportedly designed with the stated goal of improving Ukraine's standing among Western audiences as a possible prelude to Ukrainian membership in the European Union. A Podesta Group spokesman denied any wrongdoing.[10] On October 30, 2017, a federal grand jury unsealed the indictment of Manafort and his deputy Richard Gates. According to NBC News, the Podesta Group is mentioned in the indictment as one of the companies that lobbied on behalf of the Ukrainian government for Manafort and Gates. On this day, Tony Podesta stepped down as head of the Podesta Group.[11]

The Podesta Group also represents (as of 2016) the interests of Russia's largest financial institution, Sberbank of Russia, which controls approximately 30 percent of Russian banking assets.[12]

The Podesta Group also carries out public relations work for the government of Azerbaijan for a monthly fee of $60,000 plus expenses.[13]

In addition, the Podesta Group has been retained by Wal-Mart, BP, and Lockheed Martin.[5] Other clients include Bank of America, the Cherokee Nation (casinos), National Public Radio, or the Republic of Kenya.[14][15][16]

References

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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ OpenSecrets.org[full citation needed]
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

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External links

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