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Courting Lobbyists
By Kate Ackley and Tory Newmyer
Roll Call Staff
April 23, 2007
Everybody loves lobbyists when they're asking for their money.
But it's not just Members and fundraisers looking for some K
Streetcash these days.
The Congressional Federal Credit Union has stepped up a membership
drive this month putting the sell on federally registered lobbyists.
`What may surprise you is that you too are eligible to join the Credit
Union! ' reads an April letter from the credit union's Kerry Terryto
lobbyists around town. `If you are a registered lobbyist with the
U.S. House of Representatives, then you are eligible for membership.'
The credit union's Liz Santos said the letter does not signal a change
in policy - lobbyists have long been able to join the credit
union. But, she said, `It's not very often, honestly, that we reach
out to the lobbyists, which is why we're trying to cover all areas of
the credit union membership.'
Talking Turkey. A delegation of Turkish parliamentarians fanned out
across Capitol Hill last week to step up the pressure against a
proposed Congressional resolution on Armenian genocide. The nonbinding
resolution would label as genocide the killings of Armenians, starting
in 1915, by the former Ottoman Empire, and the Turks are pulling out
all the stops - meeting with several Members of Congress as well as
administration officials.
`The resolution does not do justice,' Onur Ã-ymen, a member of the
Turkish Parliament, said last week during an editorial meeting with
Roll Call in between Hill visits. `We believe at the end reason will
prevail.'
The Turkish officials said their main message to their
U.S. counterparts is that if Congress passes the resolution, the
U.S. government will pay a hefty price.
`There will be public pressure [to retaliate],' said YassarYakis,
adding that it is not a threat. The resolution could spur Turkey to
stop letting cargo shipped to U.S. forces in Iraq come through the
country, end contracts with American defense companies and hurt other
U.S. commercial interests there.
They took that message to Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.), James Clyburn
(D-S.C.) and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), as well as Sens. Dick Lugar
(R-Ind.), David Vitter (R-La.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), according to
the Turkish officials.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the Democratic chairman of the
Congressional Armenian Caucus, said that the Turkish officials'
lobbying blitz amounts to denial. `Denial is the last phase of
genocide,' Pallone said. He added that he tells his colleagues, who
might be concerned about retaliation from Turkey should the resolution
pass: `Don't listen to the bully because it's the bully that did the
genocide. If you're going to be bullied around by the country that did
the genocide then essentially you're going along with thegenocide.'
On Tuesday, a date widely recognized as Armenian Genocide
Commemoration Day, members of the Armenian Caucus are planning an
event with Armenian groups to shine the spotlight on the effort. `We
continue to have an increasing number of Congressional co-sponsors for
this, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), signed
on,' said Elizabeth Chouldjian, communications director for the
Armenian National Committee of America. `Sadly the Turkish government
is continuing its worldwide campaign of Armenian genocide denial with
this delegation being the latest manifestation of that.'
Going Solo, Global. After 20 years at BKSH & Associates, Riva Levinson
has set off on her own, launching KRL International to focus on a
range of clients either from, or with an interest in, the developing
world. `It was just the right time,' she said of the move.
Levinson, who headed the international practice at BKSH, has already
signed up a few clients: the governments of Liberia and Nigeria and
the Iraq Memory Foundation.
The work with Liberia continues a decade-long relationship Levinson
has fostered with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's
first elected female president.
She also has logged considerable time on Iraq, working for four years
with the exiled opposition and then traveling to Baghdad in 2003 to
help the new government set up its communications operation. Now she
is lobbying Congress to support the Iraq Memory Foundation, a virtual
museum dedicated to documenting the crimes of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Joining the firm as director is Molly McKew, who was most recently the
research program manager for the American Enterprise Institute's
foreign and defense policy studies department. Levinson said they plan
to `growthe business as the business grows.'
Having Heart. The American Heart Association is kicking off its lobby
day Tuesday with a HEART for Women Act rally on the National Mall to
gin up support for a bill that would increase awareness for heart
disease in women. Paige Hemmis of the ABC show `Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition' will be on hand to lend support for the bill. `She
actually has a heart murmur herselfand worked association's Jessica
Collins. On Tuesday evening, the group wrapsup the day by sponsoring
its Go Red for Women Congressional reception.
K Street Moves. With climate change issues in the Congressional
spotlight, the American Wind Energy Association has hired Gregory
Wetstone as its senior director for government and public
affairs. Wetstone formerly worked as environmental counsel for the
House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, and he also was
U.S. director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
By Kate Ackley and Tory Newmyer
Roll Call Staff
April 23, 2007
Everybody loves lobbyists when they're asking for their money.
But it's not just Members and fundraisers looking for some K
Streetcash these days.
The Congressional Federal Credit Union has stepped up a membership
drive this month putting the sell on federally registered lobbyists.
`What may surprise you is that you too are eligible to join the Credit
Union! ' reads an April letter from the credit union's Kerry Terryto
lobbyists around town. `If you are a registered lobbyist with the
U.S. House of Representatives, then you are eligible for membership.'
The credit union's Liz Santos said the letter does not signal a change
in policy - lobbyists have long been able to join the credit
union. But, she said, `It's not very often, honestly, that we reach
out to the lobbyists, which is why we're trying to cover all areas of
the credit union membership.'
Talking Turkey. A delegation of Turkish parliamentarians fanned out
across Capitol Hill last week to step up the pressure against a
proposed Congressional resolution on Armenian genocide. The nonbinding
resolution would label as genocide the killings of Armenians, starting
in 1915, by the former Ottoman Empire, and the Turks are pulling out
all the stops - meeting with several Members of Congress as well as
administration officials.
`The resolution does not do justice,' Onur Ã-ymen, a member of the
Turkish Parliament, said last week during an editorial meeting with
Roll Call in between Hill visits. `We believe at the end reason will
prevail.'
The Turkish officials said their main message to their
U.S. counterparts is that if Congress passes the resolution, the
U.S. government will pay a hefty price.
`There will be public pressure [to retaliate],' said YassarYakis,
adding that it is not a threat. The resolution could spur Turkey to
stop letting cargo shipped to U.S. forces in Iraq come through the
country, end contracts with American defense companies and hurt other
U.S. commercial interests there.
They took that message to Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.), James Clyburn
(D-S.C.) and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), as well as Sens. Dick Lugar
(R-Ind.), David Vitter (R-La.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), according to
the Turkish officials.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the Democratic chairman of the
Congressional Armenian Caucus, said that the Turkish officials'
lobbying blitz amounts to denial. `Denial is the last phase of
genocide,' Pallone said. He added that he tells his colleagues, who
might be concerned about retaliation from Turkey should the resolution
pass: `Don't listen to the bully because it's the bully that did the
genocide. If you're going to be bullied around by the country that did
the genocide then essentially you're going along with thegenocide.'
On Tuesday, a date widely recognized as Armenian Genocide
Commemoration Day, members of the Armenian Caucus are planning an
event with Armenian groups to shine the spotlight on the effort. `We
continue to have an increasing number of Congressional co-sponsors for
this, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), signed
on,' said Elizabeth Chouldjian, communications director for the
Armenian National Committee of America. `Sadly the Turkish government
is continuing its worldwide campaign of Armenian genocide denial with
this delegation being the latest manifestation of that.'
Going Solo, Global. After 20 years at BKSH & Associates, Riva Levinson
has set off on her own, launching KRL International to focus on a
range of clients either from, or with an interest in, the developing
world. `It was just the right time,' she said of the move.
Levinson, who headed the international practice at BKSH, has already
signed up a few clients: the governments of Liberia and Nigeria and
the Iraq Memory Foundation.
The work with Liberia continues a decade-long relationship Levinson
has fostered with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's
first elected female president.
She also has logged considerable time on Iraq, working for four years
with the exiled opposition and then traveling to Baghdad in 2003 to
help the new government set up its communications operation. Now she
is lobbying Congress to support the Iraq Memory Foundation, a virtual
museum dedicated to documenting the crimes of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Joining the firm as director is Molly McKew, who was most recently the
research program manager for the American Enterprise Institute's
foreign and defense policy studies department. Levinson said they plan
to `growthe business as the business grows.'
Having Heart. The American Heart Association is kicking off its lobby
day Tuesday with a HEART for Women Act rally on the National Mall to
gin up support for a bill that would increase awareness for heart
disease in women. Paige Hemmis of the ABC show `Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition' will be on hand to lend support for the bill. `She
actually has a heart murmur herselfand worked association's Jessica
Collins. On Tuesday evening, the group wrapsup the day by sponsoring
its Go Red for Women Congressional reception.
K Street Moves. With climate change issues in the Congressional
spotlight, the American Wind Energy Association has hired Gregory
Wetstone as its senior director for government and public
affairs. Wetstone formerly worked as environmental counsel for the
House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, and he also was
U.S. director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.