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Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Ballard raked in six figures from law firms targeted by Trump
With Daniel Lippman LAW FIRMS PAID BALLARD $600K LAST QUARTER: A pair of top law firms that struck deals with the Trump administration to avoid retribution for their diversity, equity and inclusion policies shelled out $300,000 each to Ballard Partners during the second quarter, disclosure filings show. Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett both hired Ballard in March, within days of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission firing off inquiries to nearly two dozen law firms about their diversity hiring practices. — Brian Ballard, Syl Lukis and Justin Sayfie reported engaging the White House Office and the Labor Department on behalf of the firms to provide 'advice related to employment practices,' according to disclosure filings. The law firms paid Ballard $100,000 during the first quarter, which ran through March. — Ballard's advocacy appeared to pay off the next month, when Trump announced that five top law firms— including Kirkland and Simpson — had agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal work to support causes aligned with the president in exchange for dropping the EEOC probes. — Kirkland and Simpson weren't the only law firms that enlisted help from a Trump ally ahead of settlements with the White House. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom retained Miller Strategies on March 25, according to a disclosure filing. — On March 28, Skadden became the first law firm to strike a preemptive deal with Trump, setting off a flurry of additional dealmaking across Big Law. Skadden paid Miller Strategies $20,000 during the first quarter of the year and reported no lobbying activity during Q2. TGIF and welcome to PI. Send tips. Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. BIG TECH'S AGE VERIFICATION FIGHT GETS MESSY: 'The biggest tech companies are warring over who's responsible for children's safety online, with billions of dollars in fines on the line as states rapidly pass conflicting laws requiring companies to verify users' ages,' per Bloomberg's Emily Birnbaum. — The debate has pitted platforms like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, against the owners of the world's two biggest app stores, Apple and Google. — 'As the lobbying battle over age verification heats up, influential big tech groups are splintering and new ones emerging. Meta last year left Chamber of Progress, a liberal-leaning tech group that counts Apple and Google as members. Since then, the chamber, which is led by a former Google lobbyist and brands itself as the Democratic-aligned voice for the tech industry, has grown more aggressive in its advocacy against all age verification bills.' — 'Meta tried unsuccessfully to convince another major tech trade group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, to stop working against bills Meta supports, two people familiar with the dynamics said.' — In the meantime, Meta partnered up this spring with Spotify and Tinder owner Match Group 'to launch a coalition aimed at taking on Apple and Google, including over the issue of age verification. Meta is also helping to fund the Digital Childhood Alliance, a coalition of conservative groups leading efforts to pass app-store age verification, according to three people familiar with the funding.' FIRST IN PI — COURTOVICH SANCTIONED BY COURT: A federal court on Thursday ruled that lobbyist Jim Courtovich is in contempt of court for not providing financial information to Saudi-backed investors whom the court says he owes millions to, Daniel reports. — The judge, Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also said in the 'sanctions order' that Courtovich will be fined daily for contempt until he comes into compliance: $250 per day for two weeks and $1,000 per day after that, and potentially even more later. — Last year, Courtovich breached a settlement agreement he made to pay back the investment vehicle Woodland Drive, which had sued him over allegations of breach of contract and fraud. The court has previously ordered Courtovich to turn over financial information to the LLC as it attempts to collect its $4 million judgment against him. — 'Courtovich has repeatedly and flagrantly ignored the court's unambiguous orders and has failed to appear at numerous hearings scheduled by the court,' Nichols said in the order. 'Indeed, to date, he still has not complied with the court's February 5 order directing him to produce the documents requested by Woodland Drive.' — Courtovich declined to comment on whether he will comply with the court order and instead said he has an agreement with the Al Gosaibi family, which funds Woodland Drive, and not with Woodland Drive. But he added that Woodland Drive will get the proceeds of Courtovich's Hill house, which is for sale. — 'The company will not stop pursuing Jim Courtovich until he has paid every penny of the $4 million that he owes,' a representative for Woodland Drive said in a statement to PI. 'His excuses will not stop this from happening. The walls are closing in and he knows it.' THE INFLUENCERS ARE COMING: Strategic advisory firm Velocity Partners has teamed up with creator economy startup #paid to launch a new offering aimed at reaching stakeholders in Washington by mobilizing content creators and social media influencers around the country. — Content creators are 'incredibly effective at driving action,' Velocity co-founder Ali Rubin argued. 'We have been saying, if you could use that to convert that action, that behavior that they're driving, to a policy, regulatory or grassroots campaign, think about the impact you'd have.' — The #paid platform works by connecting brands with creators interested in sponsorship opportunities, and Velocity hopes to pair that functionality with its knowledge of Washington to put a D.C.-centered spin on digital campaigns focused on policy or regulatory objectives. — It feels like a natural next step following an election that cemented platforms like podcasts or TikTok as tools for campaigns to meet voters where they are, rather than relying on media that younger Americans are shifting away from, like live TV and newspapers. — For some clients, Rubin posited, that could entail enlisting a mom blogger who submitted a bid for the campaign and 'who may or may not have followers who care about politics' to sway public sentiment on an issue in their own voice. Or the influencer could call for their followers to contact their local congressional representative, instead of 'hiring a policy spokesperson or putting an ad in a local newspaper.' ANNALS OF ETHICS: The House Ethics Committee called on Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) today to divest his family's holdings in steel giant Cleveland-Cliffs, 'citing concerns around the appearance of wrongdoing,' per POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs. — The bipartisan panel has been probing whether Kelly's wife bought stock in Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs, which has a plant in the lawmaker's district, 'based on non-public information gleaned from Kelly's position as an elected official. Although Kelly's wife was not fully cooperative with the probe, the panel 'did not find evidence that [the lawmaker] knowingly or intentionally caused his spouse to trade based on insider information.'' — ''It is rare for the Committee to recommend divestment of stocks where there is a potential appearance of a conflict of interest,' committee members wrote in their report. 'As Representative Kelly himself noted, however, he is an 'insider' when it comes to Cleveland-Cliffs, by virtue of his position as the representative for his district.'' — 'The panel urged Kelly and his wife to divest their holdings before he takes any more official actions related to Cleveland-Cliffs,' while expressing concerns 'that Kelly's wife bought more stock during the investigation, and Kelly did not disclose the purchase in a timely manner — nor did he answer questions about it.' SPOTTED last night at a reception hosted by the Information Technology Industry Council featuring special guests from the Congressional Staff Association on AI, per a tipster: Margaret McCarthy of ITI, Alexandra Seymour and Ashley Truluck of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee, Patrick Ottenhoff of Visa, Parul Desai of the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Alyson Sincavage of Cisco and Robert Hoffman of Broadcom. — And at a fireside chat on the White House's new artificial intelligence roadmap with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, per a tipster: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Joel Miller of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Elena Hernandez, Dean Ball and Tim Kurth of OSTP, Will Burns of Rep. Jay Obernolte's (R-Calif.) office, Addie Cooke of Google, Melika Carroll of Cohere, Austin Carson of SeedAI, Andres Castrillon of Qualcomm, Ximena Gates of BuildWithin, Kevin Rambosk and India Herdman of Tesla, Kelsey Conradi of Samsung, Aya Kiy-Morrocco of AWS, Miranda Lutz of Cisco, Svetlana Matt of EchoStar, Melissa Wade and Charlotte McElroy of Aurora, John Mitchell of Workday, Pooja Patel of Siemens, Anarkalee Perera of HP, Sean Perryman of Uber, Kaya Singleton of Roku, Rebecca Steele of Toyota, Pat Thompson of Infineon, Melissa Tye of Verizon, Stefania Yanachkov of Waymo, Allison Cullin of Lyft, Jim Morgan of LG Electronics, Ashley Menzler of Dexcom, Tillie Fowler of EssilorLuxottica, Pat Pelletier of IBM and CTA's Gary Shapiro, Kinsey Fabrizio, Michael Petricone, Tiffany Moore and David Grossman. Jobs report — Kate Tyrrell is now chief of staff and senior deputy comptroller at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She previously was senior managing director at Greystone. — Monument Advocacy has promoted Roberto Estrada Lobo to director of client acquisition and public affairs, Kaycie Goral to director of public affairs, Peyton Kelleher to senior manager of government relations and Chauncey Seeger to senior manager of government relations. — Michelle West is now a partner in the construction and project development practice at Burr & Forman in its new Washington office. She previously was counsel at Fox Rothschild LLP. — Jeff Hantson is now a managing director at FGS Global in its Washington office. He previously was deputy general counsel for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on the Senate Judiciary Committee. — Bert Kaufman is now senior counsel for autonomy and robotics at DoorDash. He most recently was a senior adviser at the Commerce Department. — Leslie Nettleford-Freeman is now associate general counsel and vice president of legal affairs and brand protection at the National Association of Realtors. She previously was associate general counsel at AARP. — Amir Nasr is now a public policy manager at Amazon. He was previously trade policy manager at the Computer & Communications Industry Association. New Joint Fundraisers Cortez Masto Senate Victory (Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, All for Our Country Leadership PAC, DSCC) Takano Victory Fund (Rep. Mark Takano, Inland Empire Strikes PAC; The) New PACs Draft Captain Mike Bouchard (Super PAC) PAC Punch (Super PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Brian Glackin & Associates LLC: Icebreaker Strategies, LLC (Obo Health Supply US) Clark Hill Public Strategies LLC: Riverside Energy Group Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: Bayonne Drydock & Repair Corp. Government Solutions LLC: Custom Biometric Wearables, Inc. Kellen Company: International Food Additives Council New Century Government Affairs (F/K/A Terrence C. Wolfe): Polk County Public Schools Patterson & Meek: Cancercare Public Appeal LLC: Verp Holdings LLC Puzzle Box Government Relations: Boundary Stone Partners On Behalf Of Cauldron Molecules, Inc. The Nimitz Group LLC: Phronesis Global Training Solutions LLC, D/B/A Pgt Solutions Venable LLP: Incompas New Lobbying Terminations Capitol 6 Advisors: Apex Site Services Keller Partners & Company: Fairfield Medical Center Keller Partners & Company: Limestone University Stone Advocacy Solutions: Hualapai Tribe
The Hill
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
GOP Rep. Scott Perry to be challenged by Democrat he defeated in 2024
Democrat and former broadcast journalist Janelle Stelson launched her second challenge against Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) in Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district on Monday. Stelson narrowly lost to Perry by just over one percent in 2024. The highly competitive 10th congressional district has been rated as a toss-up, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. FBI agents seized Perry's cell phone in 2022 in connection with investigations into President Trump. A court later issued a ruling shielding much of the communications on the phone between Perry and other lawmakers from special counsel Jack Smith. Controversies hanging over the 2020 presidential election and the investigation hung over the 2024 race, when Perry won reelection and Trump won Pennsylvania after losing the state in 2020 to former President Biden. A poll conducted earlier this month by the left-leaning Data for Progress on behalf of the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC shows Stelson leading Perry 46 percent to 43 percent. In a statement announcing her campaign, Stelson blasted Perry for voting for President Trump's legislative agenda. 'Scott Perry has spent more than a decade in DC taking votes that hurt us instead of delivering results – and he just sold us out again by casting the deciding vote for the largest Medicaid cuts in history, all to fund more tax cuts for billionaires,' Stelson said in a statement. 'People around here are sick and tired of career politicians like Scott Perry betraying them at every turn. I'm running to give Central Pennsylvanians the voice they deserve and to fight to lower costs, protect Social Security and Medicare, ensure a woman's right to choose and secure the border,' she continued. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) responded to Stelson's entrance into the race in a statement on Monday. 'Welcome back to certified loser Janelle Stelson! If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Janelle Stelson, who won't even bother to live in the district she wants to represent, doesn't stand a chance against Scott Perry. Pennsylvanians have rejected her before, and they'll gladly do so again in 2026,' NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said. Stellson is expected to have the support of the Democratic establishment going into the general election. According to her campaign, Stelson has already secured endorsements from Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D), state Sen. Patty Kim (D), state Reps. Carol Hill-Evans (D), Dave Madsen (D), and Nate Davidson (D).
The Hill
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Poll shows Trump's clash with courts puts Senate GOP on defense
New polling of likely voters in Senate battleground states has found that President Trump's frequent clashes with federal courts are becoming a hot issue that could put Senate Republican candidates on the defensive in 2026. A poll of 1,000 likely voters in 2026 Senate battlegrounds, obtained exclusively by The Hill, found that 53 percent disapprove of Trump's handling of the courts, including 89 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of independents and 39 percent of self-identified non-MAGA Republicans. The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group, a Democratic-aligned polling firm, on behalf of Demand Justice, a Democratic-aligned judicial advocacy group. The survey found that more than two-thirds of voters, 72 percent, said they are concerned about Trump's response to court orders and 48 percent said they were extremely concerned by what they saw as the president's refusal to obey court orders. The poll found that 68 percent of voters surveyed said they viewed congressional Republicans as helping Trump evade legal norms, and 44 percent said they viewed that dynamic as extremely concerning. It surveyed voters in Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. The Senate's two most vulnerable Republican incumbents are Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is the chamber's most vulnerable Democrat. 'The data is clear: Americans increasingly reject Donald Trump's attacks on the rule of law and the courts. Over two-thirds are concerned about this blatant disregard for court orders and the threat that it poses to the rights of every person in this country,' said Maggie Jo Buchanan, the interim executive director of Demand Justice.'When Trump treats judicial rulings as mere suggestions instead of legally binding obligations, it sends a chilling message that our legal protections are meaningless,' Buchanan added. 'An overwhelming majority of Americans across the political spectrum are concerned that this calculated defiance sets a precedent where individuals may face unfair trials, see their rights disregarded without consequence, and find themselves powerless to seek justice,' she added. U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg criticized the Trump administration earlier this year for disregarding his order to stop the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. The administration argued that the deportation flights had already departed the United States at the time Boasberg issued his order and asserted they later complied with a written order. The Trump White House has also come under criticism for barring a reporter and photographer from The Associated Press from the Oval Office in April despite a court order from U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Trevor McFadden ruling that the government could not retaliate against the news agency for refusing to follow Trump's order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The poll also found that 70 percent of voters that Trump's allies in Congress will help him pick judges who will do what he wants instead of acting independently, with 43 percent of respondents saying they're 'extremely' concerned. The poll's sample included 44 percent of self-identified Democrats, 44 percent of self-identified Republicans and 12 percent of self-identified Democrats. It was conducted between May 28 and June 1 and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percent.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump can't resist a dig at Gov. Tim Walz during conversation about Minnesota lawmaker assassinations
Donald Trump couldn't resist taking a partisan potshot at Minnesota's Democratic governor when he responded to a reporter who asked if he'd speak with Tim Walz in the wake of a deadly targeted assassination of a Democratic lawmaker and the attempted politically motivated murder of another in the state. Trump was asked by ABC's Rachel Scott over the weekend if he would speak on the phone with Walz, who condemned violent political rhetoric and 'mean tweets' after a Democratic lawmaker and her husband were murdered by a man who police say was impersonating a member of law enforcement as he carried out a sick campaign of revenge against his political enemies. In the attacks, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed at home. A state senator and his wife were also shot and wounded at their home. On Sunday, Walz announced the capture of a suspect, Vance Boelter, whom police describe as having made a hit list of Democratic-aligned politicians and activists — including members of the state congressional delegation. The Republican president meanwhile could not muster harsher condemnation for the suspected shooter or even the attack itself than he could for Walz, his former opponent. Trump instead revealed his continued grudge against Walz, who was Kamala Harris's running mate in the 2024 election, on Sunday. Of the attack, he said: 'Well, it's a terrible thing.' Then, he immediately continued: 'I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person.' Trump said he 'may' call Walz and 'other people, too' as he continues stubbornly to direct his administration in a bitter effort to provoke turf wars with state-level Democratic leaders, largely centered around his mass deportation plan. His comments follow what Minnesota law enforcement officials called the 'largest man-hunt in state history.' Sheriffs deputies called Boelter 'the face of evil' in a social media post upon his capture. Boelter, 57, is accused of dressing as a police officer and entering the homes of the two elected officials before opening fire in cold blood. Hortman and her husband had two children. But a Rolling Stone investigation this month revealed that the GOP president was itching for a fight with Democratic governors and mayors at least as far back as January, when he took over the White House. The magazine reported that Trump privately discussed with aides how quickly they could justify sending in federal law enforcement or even members of the armed forces to suppress dissent or conduct Trump's feud with Walz comes as the Minnesota governor remains one of his most vocal critics among elected Democrats and governors nationwide. The governor condemned political violence in much more coherent terms than the president in his own remarks Sunday evening. 'This cannot be the norm,' said Walz. 'It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences…It's not about hatred. It's not about mean tweets. It's not about demeaning someone. It's leading with grace and compassion and vision and compromise and decency.' Axios reported Monday morning that Walz had still not received a call from the president. As of noon Monday, there wasn't a statement on the White House website condemning the attack. The suspected shooter's apparent vendetta against Democrats sparked a predictable wave of conspiracies on the American far right, once again desperate to wash away any links to the suspect's ideology. Numerous right-wing figures including Donald Trump's own newest confidante, Laura Loomer, falsely claimed that the suspect was a participant or organizer of 'No Kings' protests that broke out concurrently this weekend around the country against the Trump administration. The president has long been critized for what many see as a pattern of refusal to condemn political violence outright when it is committed by the far-right — as well as for jumping at the chance to paint his enemies as violent, even less than human. After the Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' rally in 2017, Trump was roundly condemned for rhetoric his critics saw as supportive of the overtly racist groups that made up the event. His reaction to the January 6 attack on Congress was equally scrutinized as Democratic leaders still point to his refusal to send in National Guard troops to protect lawmakers and a seemingly callous response to reports of death threats against Mike Pence, his vice president as their evidence for the theory.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gen Z-led group launches $3M in youth voter mobilization
A Generation Z-led group aligned with Democrats is launching a $3 million youth voter mobilization effort ahead of next year's midterms. The group Voters of Tomorrow said the effort, shared first with The Hill, will target 18 competitive House districts across the country. The push is aimed at providing 'training, stipends, and support to empower campus organizers to engage their peers directly in districts where young voters have the power to decide the outcome,' according to a press release from the group. Among the House districts being targeted are Colorado's 8th Congressional District; Nebraska's 2nd District; New York's 1st District; and California's 13th, 45th and 47th districts. Most of the districts are rated as a 'toss-up' by election forecasters at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The effort shows how some Democratic-aligned organizations are already making early investments to win back some of the young voters the party lost to President Trump in the November election. A report from the Democratic data firm Catalist found the Democratic Party last year saw a 6-point drop in support among voters ages 18 to 29 compared to 2020, decreasing from 61 percent to 55 percent. Among young men, the decline was 9 points. The House's slim majority offers Democrats their best chance at flipping one of the chambers, with the Senate map offering a more challenging terrain. 'To stop Trump's dangerous agenda, we need to take back the House. Student voters have the numbers to flip key races, yet too often we're overlooked by major funders,' Kaya Jones, programming director at Voters of Tomorrow, said in a statement. 'We're proud to be making this necessary investment in young people, and we urge others to follow our lead. The future is on the ballot and so are we.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
