Dem Lobbyist Podesta Steps Down Amid Mueller Scrutiny: Report

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Tony Podesta, the longtime Democratic rainmaker on K Street, is reportedly stepping away from the Podesta Group, a lobbying firm he founded almost 30 years ago, according to Politico.

The firm has been pulled into the federal investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election, run by special counsel Robert Mueller. The Podesta Group and another K Street firm did work to benefit a pro-Russian Ukrainian party. 

Podesta earned $1.2 million for the work over that time period, according to disclosures sent to the Justice Department.

The Podesta Group did not immediately return a request for comment.

The news about Podesta comes on the same day that the Justice Department filed a 12-count indictment against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate, Rick Gates.

Prosecutors charge that Manafort and Gates knowingly evaded foreign lobbying disclosure laws by doing work for a Brussels-based nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, which falsely claimed to have no ties to Ukrainian government officials.

From 2012 to 2014, both Podesta Group and Mercury worked for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine.

Manafort and Gates directed the lobbying firms on the advocacy strategy, The Associated Press reported in August. Manafort subsequently left the Trump campaign.

Monday’s indictment goes into more detail about what Gates and Manafort allegedly did to conceal the lobbying activity, including crafting false talking points about the origins of the nonprofit’s funding.

They had both worked for the pro-Russian Ukrainian party called the Party of Regions and Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, who was later forced out of the country amid protests over corruption.

The Justice Department does not name the Podesta Group or Mercury in its indictment — referring only to Company A and Company B — but does mention the same payments and client.

The Podesta Group has previously said it had no idea that the client could be connected to the Ukrainian government. The firm said that it had consulted lawyers about whether to file disclosures under federal laws governing foreign lobbying.

Podesta is the founder and chairman of the Podesta Group, which he started in 1998 with brother John Podesta, the former campaign chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run for the White House. 

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/357836-dem-lobbyist-podesta-steps-down-amid-mueller-scrutiny

[Gaga Monster 13,001]

Washington is a mess today

[Bad Monster Kid 13,140]

Looks like all that Spirit Cooking caught up to him. 

[Miel 15,009]

See, sometimes I love drama.

But it's really something else to see this country in shambles. Like... tea, I guess?

[Ziggy 14,323]

I'm fine with this. It's funny when you see Trump diehards like, "How will libtards respond to THIS??!?" but it's like...great, if this guy is a swine then let's get rid of him also. We just want a not-dirty government and to actually "drain the swamp" of the scum there  We couldn't care less what party is doing the bad deeds (spoiler, both are and probably independents as well).

[KleinGa 18,177]

Yes drain the goddamn swamp, dems and republicans alike. Get the swines OUT 

[Sizzily 14,574]

Washington is getting juicy