Khanna starts PAC-free caucus Presented by American Academy of Dermatology Association

With David Beavers, Aubree Eliza Weaver and Daniel Lippman

A NEW CAUCUS FOR MEMBERS WHO DON’T TAKE PAC MONEY: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is starting a new caucus for members who have sworn off contributions from PACs or lobbyists. The caucus, called the NO PAC Caucus, is “designed to encourage members of Congress to voluntarily not accept PAC money and to push for legislation that ultimately bans PAC money from Congress,” Khanna said in an interview. The caucus has just two other members so far — Reps. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) — but Khanna is recruiting Republicans and Democrats, including Reps. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.), to give the caucus bipartisan bona fides. Both President Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders campaigned on reducing the influence of special interests in Washington, Khanna noted. “I think this is bipartisan,” he said.


— Khanna, who represents much of Silicon Valley, acknowledges that not every member will have an easy time quitting PAC money. Khanna defeated Democratic Rep. Mike Honda last year after raising $3.7 million, including big checks from tech elites including Marc Andreessen, John Doerr, Sean Parker and Laurene Powell Jobs, and Polis is one of the richest members of Congress. “I’m very sympathetic to the argument that members” in less affluent districts “have a harder challenge in fundraising,” Khanna said. “I think we have to be sensitive to that.” “This is not with any judgment on my colleagues [who accept PAC money] or any sense that my position is any more moral than theirs,” Khanna added.

FORBES TATE POACHES PALMER: Forbes Tate Partners has hired Steven Palmer as a partner, the firm announced this morning. He’ll head up Forbes Tate’s state and local government affairs practice with Peter O’Keefe. Palmer was previously managing director at Dutko Government Relations, where he also served as the national director of the state and local government relations practice. “In addition to his experience, Palmer brings a blue-chip list of clients to FTP and greatly expands our reach with leaders in states across the country,” Forbes Tate said in a statement. One of those clients is Accenture, according to a source familiar with the matter.

FREEDOM PARTNERS REGISTERS TO LOBBY: Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, one of the main arms of Charles and David Koch’s political network, has registered to lobby for the first time. Nathan Nascimento, Freedom Partners’ vice president of policy, will lobby on health care reform, efforts to repeal Dodd-Frank and tax reform, including the proposed border-adjustment tax, which the Kochs loathe and now appears mostly dead. Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Partners’ sister group, has been registered to lobby since 2014, although it is not a huge lobbying spender.

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KASOWITZ LACKS SECURITY CLEARANCE: Marc Kasowitz, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer in the Russia investigation, doesn’t have a security clearance and doesn’t plan to seek one, ProPublica’s Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger report. “Several lawyers who have represented presidents and senior government officials said they could not imagine handling a case so suffused with sensitive material without a clearance. ‘No question in my mind — in order to represent President Trump in this matter you would have to get a very high level of clearance because of the allegations involving Russia,’ said Robert Bennett, who served as President Bill Clinton’s personal lawyer. …”

— “One possible explanation for Kasowitz’s decision not to pursue a clearance: He might have trouble getting one. In recent weeks, ProPublica spoke with more than two dozen current and former employees of Kasowitz’s firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, as well as his friends and acquaintances. Past and present employees of the firm said in interviews that Kasowitz has struggled intermittently with alcohol abuse, leading to a stint in rehab in the winter of 2014-15 . … Experts on federal security reviews told ProPublica that recent episodes of alcohol abuse are a major barrier to receiving clearance, a process that involves government agents poring over a person’s past and interviewing family, friends and colleagues. … Kasowitz’s spokesman said he doesn’t need a clearance.” Full story.

HERALD GROUP ADDS THREE: The Herald Group is bringing on Marc Brumer as a vice president, Jason Cannata as a director and Seth Guidry as a digital account manager. Brumer was previously communications director for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and is also a veteran of the DCCC and former Rep. Dan Maffei’s office. Cannata was previously an associate vice president at FP1 Strategies. Guidry previously worked at the Lukens Company.

TRUMP TAPS RECENTLY DE-REGISTERED LOBBYIST FOR ENERGY POST: President Donald Trump plans to nominate Mark Menezes, a vice president for federal relations at Berkshire Hathaway, for an open Energy Department undersecretary slot, POLITICO’s Darius Dixon reports. Menezes “used to head Hunton & Williams' energy practice group, where disclosure records show his clients included Berkshire and Southern Co., and before that he served as chief counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Berkshire lobbying disclosures show he de-registered as a lobbyist in January of this year.” Trump has tapped Paul Dabbar, “a former submarine officer who is managing director for mergers and acquisitions at JPMorgan Chase,” for a second open undersecretary position in the department.

HOW GOOGLE, TWITTER AND AMAZON ARE PUSHING NET NEUTRALITY: POLITICO’s Steven Overly has some new details on how tech companies are supporting the net neutrality "day of action" today. “ Google sent an email to its 'Take Action' network and urged people to contact the FCC via a net neutrality website created by the Internet Association,” although it “hasn't devoted any real estate on its home page to the campaign, as it did in early 2012 during the protest against anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. … Twitter is promoting the hashtag #NetNeutrality in its trending news column. … [And] Amazon has an ad on its home page that says 'Net Neutrality? Learn more.' The ad links to the Internet Association's net neutrality website.” Full story.

SPEAKING OF GOOGLE: Google, which declined to comment for The Wall Street Journal’s investigation into the company’s efforts to shape academic research to exert influence in Washington, put out a response on Tuesday around the same time the story was published. It doesn’t mention the Journal’s story and instead references a separate report released on Tuesday by a nonprofit, the Campaign for Accountability. “The report is highly misleading,” writes Leslie Miller, Google’s director of public policy. “For example, the report attributes to Google any work that was supported by any organization to which we belong or have ever donated (such as CCIA).” Here’s the full response.

MANUFACTURERS COME OUT AGAINST GARRETT: Jay Timmons, the president and chief executive of the National Association of Manufacturers, has an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today calling on President Donald Trump to withdraw his nomination of former Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) to head the Export-Import Bank. Garrett, who belonged to the House Freedom Caucus while in Congress, has shown nothing but “contempt for the agency he now seeks to lead,” Timmons complains. “The Ex-Im Bank is an agency that returns a profit to the U.S. Treasury,” Timmons continues. “Some suggest pragmatic reforms to improve its benefits to U.S. exporters. But Mr. Garrett isn’t a reformer; he’s a destroyer. He has worked consistently to restrict the agency’s ability to support U.S. jobs through exports, voting more than a dozen times to prevent the agency from fulfilling this critical mission.”

JOBS REPORT

— Charles Thomas, a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), is leaving the Hill today. He’ll start as a vice president at Thorn Run Partners on July 17.

— Tim Berry is leaving Axios to run global government relations for JPMorgan Chase, per Axios’ Jim VandeHei. Before joining Axios last year, Berry worked as chief of staff to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and as a top lobbyist for Time Warner.

— Venn Strategies is promoting five staffers. Tim Carey is now a senior vice president, Michael Lanza and Natascha Cumberlidge are now vice presidents, Michelle Seger is now an assistant vice president and John Hebert is now an associate.

— The Partnership for a Healthier America has tapped Nancy Roman as its next president and chief executive. She is currently president and chief executive of the Capital Area Food Bank.

— Alston & Bird has added Paul Monnin as a partner in its Atlanta office. He was previously a partner in Paul Hastings’ investigations and white collar defense practice.

SPOTTED: Lunching at Casa Luca on Tuesday, according to a PI tipster: Mark Halperin of NBC News and Jackie Whisman of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.

— At the Capital Grille Tuesday night, according to a PI tipster: Roger Stone having dinner with Gregg Keller of Atlas Strategy Group, Sarah Gilmore of Crossroads Strategies and Brian Yates of Elevate. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke dined with John Green of Crossroads Strategies in a separate private room.

NEW JOINT FUNDRAISERS:

None

NEW PACs:

Defend Our Rights PAC (PAC)

Progressive Leaders Of Tomorrow (Super PAC)

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS:

BGR Government Affairs: Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

Butzel Long, P.C.: Rassini International

Capitol Legislative Strategies LLC: PJC Investments

Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC: Emerus

Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC: MIA + BSI: The Natural Stone Institute

Ervin Hill Strategy: Amatex Capital

Fidelis Government Relations: Sexton's Creek Consulting on behalf of Washington Strategy Group

Freedom Partners Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.: Freedom Partners Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.

G2 Strategies: Bosma Enterprises

Holland & Knight LLP: W.W. Grainger, Inc.

S-3 Group: AECOM

S-3 Group: AREVA Nuclear Materials LLC

Squire Patton Boggs: National Flea Market Association

Theresa Pugh Consulting LLC: Meguire Whitney

Townsend Public Affairs: City of Moreno Valley

Townsend Public Affairs: City of Placentia

Townsend Public Affairs: City of Stanton

Trimpa Group, LLC: The New Federalism Fund

NEW LOBBYING TERMINATIONS:

Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc.: Bob Lawrence And Associates Inc

Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc.: Renaissance Associates S.A.

Bonnie Singer: Dilas Diode Laser Inc

Holland & Knight LLP: Med-Care Diabetic & Medical Supplies, Inc.

Mayforth Group, LLC.: Deepwater Wind, LLC

McGuireWoods Consulting (A Subsidiary of McGuireWoods LLP): Adeptus Health

Podesta Group, Inc.: Industrial Steel Drum Institute

Strategic Public Affairs: Weatherford International

Trimpa Group, LLC: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc

U.S.-Israel Science & Technology Foundation: U.S.-Israel Science & Technology Foundation

Winning Strategies Washington: Inflight Supplies & Service, LLC

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