 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Government andpublic relations |
| Founded | 1988; 37 years ago (1988) |
| Founders | |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Key people | Kimberley Fritts(CEO) |
Number of employees | 70[citation needed] |
| Website | www |
ThePodesta Group was alobbying andpublic affairs firm based inWashington, D.C. It was founded in 1988 by brothersJohn andTony 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] It has essentially ceased to exist since then. The firm reorganized in January 2007 after chairman Tony Podesta split with former business partner Dan Mattoon.[2]
Podesta Group, which represented American corporations as well asnonprofits andgovernments, was said in 2011 to have "close ties to theDemocratic Party and theObama administration",[5] although its CEO, Kimberley Fritts, is identified in her Cogent Strategies bio as "a fixture in Republican politics".[6] She resigned and established her own firm, Cogent Strategies, in November 2017.[citation needed]
The firm reported earningUS$27.4 million in lobbying fees in 2011.[7] In 2007, Chairman Tony Podesta was ranked by his peers as the third most influential lobbyist in Washington.[8]
On November 9, 2017, CEO Kimberley Fritts informed all employees that the Podesta Group would cease to exist at the end of the year. Employees were asked to clear out their desks and told that they might not be paid beyond November 15. On November 21, Podesta Group's website went offline, redirecting to the personal website of Tony Podesta,[9] with the majority of the Podesta Group’s former principals having joined Cogent Strategies.[10][11][12]
The Podesta Group acted as alobbyist for Egypt on United States policies of concern, activities inCongress and theexecutive branch, and developments on the U.S. political scene generally, according to forms filed with theDepartment of Justice in 2009.[5][13]
They received $900,000 in revenue in 2011–2012 from theBrussels-basedEuropean Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU), a group sympathetic to then Ukraine presidentViktor Yanukovych and hisParty of Regions.[14] As of October 2017, the Podesta Group was reported to be under investigation bySpecial CounselRobert Mueller for potentially violating theForeign 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 byPaul Manafort on behalf of the ECMU and Ukraine's pro-RussianParty of Regions; the campaign was reportedly designed with the stated goal of improving Ukraine's standing among Western audiences as a possible prelude toUkrainian membership in the European Union. A Podesta Group spokesman denied any wrongdoing.[15] On October 30, 2017, a federalgrand jury unsealed the indictment of Manafort and his deputyRichard Gates.[16] 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 that day, Tony Podesta stepped down as head of the Podesta Group.[17] As of May 2019, the Podesta Group, along withMercury Public Affairs andSkadden, has been under investigation for possiblelobbying violations regarding formerTrump campaign chairmanPaul Manafort by theSouthern District of New York.[18]
The Podesta Group also represented (as of 2016) the interests of Russia's largest financial institution,Sberbank of Russia, which controls approximately 30 percent of Russian banking assets.[19]
The Podesta Group also carried out public relations work for thegovernment of Azerbaijan for a monthly fee of $60,000 plus expenses.[20]
Between 2009 and 2017, the Podesta Group represented more than two dozen sovereign governments. According to FARA filings at the US Justice Department, the company represented Afghanistan,[21] Vietnam,[22] Switzerland,[23] Georgia,[24] India,[25] Iraq,[26] Japan,[27] Hong Kong,[28] Thailand,[29] Saudi Arabia[30] and Cyprus,[31] among others.
In addition, the Podesta Group has been retained byWalmart,BP, andLockheed Martin.[5] Other clients includeBank of America, theCherokee Nation (casinos),National Public Radio, and theRepublic of Kenya.[32][33][34]
