Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
US lobbying firms rush to cut ties with Russian businesses hit with sanctions
Source: CNN
In the years leading up to Russia's attack on Ukraine, US lobbyists have raked in millions of dollars from Russian banks and financial firms paying to push their interests in Washington.
Now, in the wake of the Russian invasion and new sanctions announced by President Joe Biden, many of those lobbying firms are rushing to cut ties and drop their lucrative contracts.
At least six lobbying firms that previously represented now-sanctioned Russian banks and companies tied to a Russian natural gas pipeline terminated their contracts or representation this week, according to statements and federal lobbying disclosures.
[snip]
"For anybody that's representing a Russian entity in Washington, DC, it's an uphill climb ... that has just gotten a lot steeper," said Benjamin Freeman, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a foreign policy think tank, who has written a book on foreign influence. "It's going to be hard to find a sympathetic ear for any of these Russian clients on the Hill right now."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/politics/lobbying-firms-russian-businesses-sanctions-invs/index.html
26 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Suddenly the oligarchs can't pay their bills any more.
(given how much money those organizations got from Russia)
Dana Rohrabacher, who lost his seat in Congress in 2018 and eventually fled to Maine.
He’s a Member of Congress. The Kremlin Likes Him So Much It Gave Him a Code Name.
Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California, has come under intense political and investigative scrutiny for his closeness to Russia.Credit...Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, via Associated Press
By Nicholas Fandos
Nov. 21, 2017
WASHINGTON — For two decades, Representative Dana Rohrabacher has been of value to the Kremlin, so valuable in recent years that the F.B.I. warned him in 2012 that Russia regarded him as an intelligence source worthy of a Kremlin code name. The following year, the California Republican became even more valuable, assuming the chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee that oversees Russia policy.
He sailed to re-election again and again, even as he developed ties to Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia. Then came President Trump. As revelations of Russia’s campaign to influence American politics consume Washington, Mr. Rohrabacher, 70, who had no known role in the Trump election campaign, has come under political and investigative scrutiny. The F.B.I. and the Senate Intelligence Committee are each seeking to interview him about an August meeting with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, Mr. Rohrabacher said.
The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is said to be interested in a meeting he had last year with Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s short-lived national security adviser. At the same time, fellow Republicans — questioning his judgment and intentions — have moved to curtail his power as chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats.
And back home in Southern California, where Democrats and Republicans alike smell blood, the 15-term congressman is facing his toughest re-election contest in decades, with well-funded candidates from both parties lining up to unseat him. “I feel like I’m in good shape politically,” he said breezily during an interview last week, a day before he voted against his party’s tax bill. “My constituents couldn’t care less about this. They are not concerned about Russia. They are concerned about the taxes on their home. They are concerned about illegal immigrants coming into their neighborhood and raping people.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/us/politics/dana-rohrabacher-putin-trump-kremlin-under-fire.html
Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California, has come under intense political and investigative scrutiny for his closeness to Russia.Credit...Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, via Associated Press
By Nicholas Fandos
Nov. 21, 2017
WASHINGTON — For two decades, Representative Dana Rohrabacher has been of value to the Kremlin, so valuable in recent years that the F.B.I. warned him in 2012 that Russia regarded him as an intelligence source worthy of a Kremlin code name. The following year, the California Republican became even more valuable, assuming the chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee that oversees Russia policy.
He sailed to re-election again and again, even as he developed ties to Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia. Then came President Trump. As revelations of Russia’s campaign to influence American politics consume Washington, Mr. Rohrabacher, 70, who had no known role in the Trump election campaign, has come under political and investigative scrutiny. The F.B.I. and the Senate Intelligence Committee are each seeking to interview him about an August meeting with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, Mr. Rohrabacher said.
The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is said to be interested in a meeting he had last year with Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s short-lived national security adviser. At the same time, fellow Republicans — questioning his judgment and intentions — have moved to curtail his power as chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats.
And back home in Southern California, where Democrats and Republicans alike smell blood, the 15-term congressman is facing his toughest re-election contest in decades, with well-funded candidates from both parties lining up to unseat him. “I feel like I’m in good shape politically,” he said breezily during an interview last week, a day before he voted against his party’s tax bill. “My constituents couldn’t care less about this. They are not concerned about Russia. They are concerned about the taxes on their home. They are concerned about illegal immigrants coming into their neighborhood and raping people.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/us/politics/dana-rohrabacher-putin-trump-kremlin-under-fire.html
Longtime California GOP congressman loses seat to executive
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD November 11, 2018
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a one-time speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan who later became Russia’s leading defender on Capitol Hill and an outspoken advocate for legalized marijuana, was defeated Saturday, a victim of California’s Democratic tilt and voters’ distaste for President Donald Trump.
Rohrabacher, 71, was beaten by real estate executive Harley Rouda, 56, a Republican-turned-Democrat who pilloried the congressman for his skepticism over climate change and depicted him as an out-of-touch abettor in Washington gridlock. With votes continuing to be counted, Rouda’s edge grew steadily. The vote count updated Saturday showed Rouda with 52 percent of the vote and about 8,500 more votes than Rohrabacher.
Rohrabacher’s ouster from his seat in Orange County has historical and symbolic significance. The county southeast of Los Angeles was home to President Richard Nixon and long considered a foundational block in the modern conservative movement. Reagan himself likened it to a Republican heaven.
Orange County was once a Republican lock on Election Day, said Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University. “Their lock is over,” he said. With Rouda’s win, Democrats have picked off two GOP seats either all or partly in the county since Tuesday’s election, and are threatening in two others. Democrat Mike Levin this week captured the seat long held by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, which cuts through the southern end of the county. Democrats have also seized a GOP-held seat north of Los Angeles.
https://apnews.com/article/2d4e9db9167b44519d923391c8d35a00
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD November 11, 2018
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a one-time speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan who later became Russia’s leading defender on Capitol Hill and an outspoken advocate for legalized marijuana, was defeated Saturday, a victim of California’s Democratic tilt and voters’ distaste for President Donald Trump.
Rohrabacher, 71, was beaten by real estate executive Harley Rouda, 56, a Republican-turned-Democrat who pilloried the congressman for his skepticism over climate change and depicted him as an out-of-touch abettor in Washington gridlock. With votes continuing to be counted, Rouda’s edge grew steadily. The vote count updated Saturday showed Rouda with 52 percent of the vote and about 8,500 more votes than Rohrabacher.
Rohrabacher’s ouster from his seat in Orange County has historical and symbolic significance. The county southeast of Los Angeles was home to President Richard Nixon and long considered a foundational block in the modern conservative movement. Reagan himself likened it to a Republican heaven.
Orange County was once a Republican lock on Election Day, said Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University. “Their lock is over,” he said. With Rouda’s win, Democrats have picked off two GOP seats either all or partly in the county since Tuesday’s election, and are threatening in two others. Democrat Mike Levin this week captured the seat long held by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, which cuts through the southern end of the county. Democrats have also seized a GOP-held seat north of Los Angeles.
https://apnews.com/article/2d4e9db9167b44519d923391c8d35a00
Posted June 14, 2021 | Updated June 15, 2021
Ex-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, now a Mainer, marched on the Capitol on Jan. 6
The former Californian, who's been called 'Putin's favorite congressman,' confirmed he was at the march to protest the 'stolen election' but said he urged fellow protesters not to storm the Capitol.
BY COLIN WOODWARD STAFF WRITER
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot. AP Photo/John Minchillo
Dana Rohrabacher, the former California representative who earned the moniker “Putin’s favorite congressman” for his coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin and moved to Maine after losing re-election, confirmed Monday that he participated in the Jan. 6 march on the U.S. Capitol.
Rohrabacher, who lives in York, told the Press Herald that he participated in what he says started as a peaceful march but said he did not enter the building. He confirmed he was there in an interview Monday afternoon after internet sleuths identified him in footage of the crowd that gathered on the west side of the Capitol.
“I marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand,” Rohrabacher told the Press Herald. “But I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do.”
Rohrabacher’s attendance was exposed on Twitter Saturday by a group of anonymous open-source intelligence sleuths using the account @capitolhunters. They found him – wearing a knit hat and overcoat – in four videos that establish he was standing in the crowd at the edge of the Lower West Plaza from at least 1:58 to 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 6. He was nearly 500 feet beyond the police barriers and inside the restricted zone, but there is no indication he attempted to climb the West Plaza steps or enter the building.
https://www.pressherald.com/2021/06/14/ex-rep-dana-rohrabacher-now-a-mainer-marched-on-the-capitol-jan-6/
Ex-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, now a Mainer, marched on the Capitol on Jan. 6
The former Californian, who's been called 'Putin's favorite congressman,' confirmed he was at the march to protest the 'stolen election' but said he urged fellow protesters not to storm the Capitol.
BY COLIN WOODWARD STAFF WRITER
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot. AP Photo/John Minchillo
Dana Rohrabacher, the former California representative who earned the moniker “Putin’s favorite congressman” for his coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin and moved to Maine after losing re-election, confirmed Monday that he participated in the Jan. 6 march on the U.S. Capitol.
Rohrabacher, who lives in York, told the Press Herald that he participated in what he says started as a peaceful march but said he did not enter the building. He confirmed he was there in an interview Monday afternoon after internet sleuths identified him in footage of the crowd that gathered on the west side of the Capitol.
“I marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand,” Rohrabacher told the Press Herald. “But I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do.”
Rohrabacher’s attendance was exposed on Twitter Saturday by a group of anonymous open-source intelligence sleuths using the account @capitolhunters. They found him – wearing a knit hat and overcoat – in four videos that establish he was standing in the crowd at the edge of the Lower West Plaza from at least 1:58 to 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 6. He was nearly 500 feet beyond the police barriers and inside the restricted zone, but there is no indication he attempted to climb the West Plaza steps or enter the building.
Link to tweet
https://www.pressherald.com/2021/06/14/ex-rep-dana-rohrabacher-now-a-mainer-marched-on-the-capitol-jan-6/
TWEET TEXT
capitolhunters
@capitolhunters
#SeditionHunters - Thursday’s arrest of Alan Hostetter highlighted extremism in Orange County, CA, but even he is junior-league. We knew OC would send their finest, and here he is, the highest-profile #SeditionVIP yet: former U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA 42). 1/
Image
6:03 PM · Jun 12, 2021
@capitolhunters
#SeditionHunters - Thursday’s arrest of Alan Hostetter highlighted extremism in Orange County, CA, but even he is junior-league. We knew OC would send their finest, and here he is, the highest-profile #SeditionVIP yet: former U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA 42). 1/
Image
6:03 PM · Jun 12, 2021
