Who'll lobby for Bitcoin? - NSA: We have no LLLs - Castro visits Iowa for Harkin - The truth-is-out-there lobby Presented by American Academy of Dermatology Association

With Andrea Drusch and Anna Palmer

WHO WILL LOBBY FOR BITCOIN? The popular virtual tender Bitcoin is on the rise and so is government interest in its uses. In the past weeks, leaders from two Senate committees and the GAO have all waded into the Bitcoin discussion, largely over concerns of tax compliance and possible criminal use. The currency’s somewhat mysterious origins leave no clear answer as to who will advocate for it in D.C., but one expert says a new industry group will take the lead.


Adam B. Levine, editor-in-chief of Let’s Talk Bitcoin!, told PI initial indications were that a non-profit called the Bitcoin Foundation would undertake the lobbying effort on behalf of the currency. However, controversy within the foundation over whether lobbying was necessary led it to step back from the idea of hiring advocacy help. In its place, new industry group Digital Asset Transfer Authority will lobby on behalf of crypto currency as a whole, pushing toward “a more nuanced understanding in the legislature.”

“The primary interest group that has a lot to gain but a lot at risk is the existing banking system,” Levine said. “The concern within the Bitcoin community is that Bitcoin is seen as a threat by the existing financial system.” For now, Levine said, Bitcoin lobbying efforts would therefore be focused on promoting a better understanding of online currency. If you need a primer on what Bitcoin is, click here: http://politi.co/1619t9w

NSA: WE HAVE NO LLLs: We reported in July that the lobbying disclosure called OMB form LLL — a form that shows lobbying activity by government contractors — is basically impossible for the public to get through normal channels. Accordingly, we sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the Justice Department, Defense Department, National Security Agency, FBI and CIA for the forms for major tech and telecom companies in the wake of contractor Edward Snowden’s disclosures to the Guardian and The Washington Post. On Friday, POLITICO received a FOIA response saying that no LLL records could be found at the NSA or partner agency the Central Security Service. The rest of those agencies are taking their sweet time with our FOIA. Which raises the question: Are most contractors even filling out these forms? The requirements of the Byrd Amendment — the law that requires these forms — are confusing and a bit redundant. See our original story on the LLL here: http://politi.co/14uaxDg

GOOD MONDAY AFTERNOON, where August recess couldn’t get any sleepier. Please, for the love of God, send us an email, let us buy you a drink or link us with a silly cat video. Send your lobbying news, gossip, tips, scoops and historical tidbits to [email protected]. Keep up with PI on Twitter by following @ ByronTau or @ PoliticoPI.

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CASTRO VISITS IOWA FOR HARKIN: San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro is headed to Iowa on behalf of Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Harkin's TomPAC is hosting a Sept. 14 fundraiser in Des Moines, where Castro is featured as the special guest. The event asks for a contribution of $5,000 to go toward the PAC.

THE TRUTH-IS-OUT-THERE LOBBY: PI was tickled by the news that the CIA had finally acknowledged Area 51 — an aircraft test site and the fabled location where the U.S. government allegedly recovered a crashed alien spacecraft and alien bodies. It piqued our curiosity: Who is lobbying on UFO issues? The answer is Stephen Bassett, who has been registered since 2009 both as a client and for the Extra Campaign, Exopolitics.com and Exopolitics Institute. His most recent lobbying disclosure lists the following issues: “Open hearings to take testimony of government and agency witnesses regarding UFO/ET-related events and evidence; gaining access to developed technologies obtained from extraterrestrial (crashed) vehicles in the government's possession; formal acknowledgement by the U.S. government of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race; failure to properly brief the executive branch on UFO/ET-related issues known to military services and intelligence agencies.”

DOWNTOWNER'S FAMILY CAR AUCTIONED FOR RECORD PRICE: Purple Strategies' Lanier Swann Hodgson was on hand this weekend in California for the auctioning of her grandfather's rare cherry red 1967 Ferrari. The haul: $27.5 million, all going to charity. Click here for more on the car and story: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100971194

ABEL JOINS STEPTOE: Jason Abel tweets that he'll be joining Steptoe & Johnson as counsel in the government affairs and public policy group and a leader of the campaign finance and political law practice. He's previously worked at Allen & Overy. Before that, Abel was chief counsel to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and as counsel in Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) office.

EGYPT STILL FACES FOREIGN AID FIGHT, WITHOUT LOBBYISTS: The White House faces growing opposition in both parties to its decision to keep giving military assistance to Egypt amid the violence there. "I do think we can send a strong signal by suspending aid," Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Meanwhile, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said she doesn't "see how we can give them aid in light of what has happened." Meanwhile, the country has nobody in the United States to press its case to lawmakers. The country has been without any lobbying footprint in the United States since lobbyists Bob Livingston, Toby Moffett and Tony Podesta all terminated their relationship with the country in early 2012. Sources told PI that the now-deposed Morsi government was shopping around for a firm but nothing materialized.

ELSEWHERE IN THE INFLUENCE WORD:

CRACKDOWN: You should probably not illegally lobby because the Feds have been noticing. http://bit.ly/16WwTiU

CASH COMMITTEE: The New York Times is upset about influence-peddling on the finance services committee. http://nyti.ms/1cU8MZi

LOCAL BLINK: Potential D.C. mayoral candidate raising funds on Nantucket. http://bit.ly/160AdHc

NEW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS:

None

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client)

The Petrizzo Group: Stratolaunch Systems Inc.

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