Ukraine invasion leads US lobbyists to ditch Russian clients
WASHINGTON (AP) — A half-dozen U.S. lobbying firms severed ties with Russian-linked businesses over the past week, a dramatic pullback for an industry that often has few qualms about representing controversial interests.
The rush offers a measure of the potency of the Biden administration’s new sanctions, which were levied after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last week. They make it difficult, if not outright illegal, for U.S. companies to do business with Russia-based ones.
Firms including McLarty Associates, BGR Group and Venable LLP abruptly canceled arrangements that have collectively yielded millions of dollars in lobbying fees in recent years, records show. Among their former clients are investors and operators for the now-canceled Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was supposed to deliver Russian gas to Germany, as well as Russian state-controlled banks and others.
Thus far, it’s reversed the normal order of business when war breaks out, which often spurs foreign governments to enlist Washington-based firms to lobby the U.S. government, a review of lobbying records shows.
“These lobbying firms and lobbyists were pulling in huge amounts of money,” said Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for the good government group Public Citizen, who closely tracks the industry. “I really have a hard time believing that they suddenly became altruistic once Russia invaded Ukraine."
Holman said a more likely scenario was that the firms were “lobbying on behalf of the sectors, industries and projects” that were covered by the sanctions, and thus required to cease their work.
It's difficult to assess just how many Russian companies or Russian-linked companies are still being represented by U.S. lobbyists. But the recent exodus suggests that the...
