K Street poised for big business in GOP-run Washington
Not only could Washington break its habit of gridlock, but the action looks set to happen on some of the highest-grossing causes.
“These are all high-dollar items,” said Stu Van Scoyoc, CEO of Van Scoyoc Associates. “There’s a very target-rich environment for people who want to get things done.”
.. But while Trump railed against lobbyists on the campaign trail, his administration could be a boon for the business of Washington.
.. Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries will be the small group of lobbyists who made inroads with his campaign or transition team. They include David Tamasi of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, a finance chair for Trump Victory; American Continental Group’s David Urban, a senior adviser to campaign who delivered the key battleground state of Pennsylvania; former Speaker Newt Gingrich, a senior adviser at Dentons; Mercury’s Michael DuHaime, a former adviser to Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani; Squire Patton Boggs’ Jack Kingston, the former Georgia congressman who was a surrogate for Trump on TV, and Marc Lampkin of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, who has raised money for the transition.
“There will be scramble around town for the few people who have bona fide Trump relationships and connections,”
.. Trump’s main conduits to K Street include Scott Mason, a former Lowe’s lobbyist who became the campaign’s director of congressional relations; John Mashburn, the campaign policy adviser who used to be an aide to North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis; and Joshua Pitcock, who lobbied for Indiana under Gov. Mike Pence.
.. With a close Senate, Democrats with ties to likely minority leader Chuck Schumer will remain in demand.
.. “He ran a campaign with no substance, he didn’t have real plans,” a Republican lobbyist said. “That provides an opportunity for the Hill and downtown to help shape this a bit.”
.. It’s not yet clear what role lobbyists can play in the administration itself, and whether Trump will maintain Obama’s ban on lobbyists joining the administration. Either way, downtowners don’t expect much to come of Trump’s proposed ethics rules, including a five-year ban on lobbying for executive branch officials, lawmakers and their staffers, despite his heated “drain the swamp” rhetoric.
.. “Congress is most active when one party controls House, Senate and White House, and Washington is most relevant to industry when desire for reform overcomes inertial gridlock,” said Bruce Mehlman of Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas. “2017 is going to be a very busy and consequential year.”