michael sullivan the lobbyist group

By Tuesday afternoon, Republican members hadn't yet weighed in, while a number of Democrats either in leadership positions or mentioned in the recording issued statements condemning the speaker for his comments. I can tell you [political spending] plays an important role. These include funding think tanks, as well as academics, who may research, advocate, and publish in favor of Big Tech companies, without necessarily disclosing their benefactors. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, OpenSecrets is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Excludes Eric Swalwells presidential campaign contributions, Source: Public Citizens analysis of data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (www.opensecrets.org), Excludes Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchars presidential campaign contributions, Excludes John Hickenlooper and Amy Klobuchars presidential campaign contributions. OpenSecrets routinely creates custom data sets on a wide variety of topics, based on popular requests, and provides you with direct access. We work every day to defend against these threats and advance bold reforms. Sullivan was defeated in the primary by Gabriel E. Gomez who garnered 93,632, or 51% of the votes. Blitz Ahead of Zuckerberg Testimony, Tech Transparency Project (March 9, 2021), https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-launches-pr-blitz-ahead-of-zuckerberg-testimony. Until Tuesday, there had been a mixed bag of reviews on the allegations though essentially every Republican or Democrat who was asked about it called on Sullivan to release the recording. Areport Public Citizen released in 2019(covering up to the 2018 election cycle) detailed how Big Tech corporations have blanketed Capitol Hill with lobbyists and lavished members of Congress with campaign contributions. At the end of 2020, a slew of antitrust lawsuits were brought against Facebook and Google, with several more expected this year, including some targeting Amazon and Apple. Sullivan, gathered 66,164 votes, or 36%, whereas state Representative Dan Winslow, collected 24,057, or 13% of the votes, with 99 percent of precincts reporting shortly before 11:30 pm, on April 30, 2013. In January of this year, Public Citizen joined 50 other groups in an open letter calling on corporate America to cease all of its political spending not just its PAC contributions to the 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 president election. We are told women want to be treated as complete and utter equals, but we cant tell risque locker room jokes, for fear of sexual harassment lawsuits, he wrote in 1995 22 years before the #MeToo movement would rankle conservative pundits. Career Associate Bolles & Pritchard, 19831990. Michael Sullivan Sr. is based on Dan Drost a former Looney lieutenant who joined up with other gangsters after the 1922 Gabel murder. [17] The report of the conference was titled "Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities" and called for the passage of several gun bans and gun control measures. Just a month later, Zuckerberg was invited back to the White House for a private dinner.[24]. Amid laughs, Bonnen said, "Heres what I wont do. [35]), Meanwhile, Amazon has come under fire for unsafe working conditions under COVID,[36] tamping down on worker efforts to unionize[37] (by spying on workers,[38] illegally interrogating and threatening them,[39] and retaliating against those who organize[40]), and exhausting their workers with unreasonable, inhumane expectations for productivity and efficiency. Since the 2020 election cycle has ended, Public Citizen reevaluated Big Techs influence over the government by analyzing the tech companies lobbying spending and campaign contributions. Valid email is required, What are you looking for? ", About halfway through the conversation, Bonnen reiterated to Sullivan that Burrows would list members to potentially target in the 2020 primaries, saying he had "some folks if you want to go pop.". [45] But the monopolists put up a good fight: in the lead up to the vote on the bill, they hired every lobbyist in town.[46], Tech companies not covered in this report, like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash, and Postmates, spent a stunning $200 million lobbying for a ballot initiative that would reclassify their drivers as employees instead of independent contractors, thereby reducing cost and liability for themselves. Republican lawmakers were blunt with the Chamber's lobbyist, Tom Sullivan, . "He'll show you the list of who we hope someone will show up" to challenge, Bonnen said. Michael J. Sullivan, lobbyist, former prosecutor. During the Trump administration, Facebooks influential head of government affairs, Joel Kaplan was credited with assisting Mark Zuckerberg as he strived to cultivate political relationships on both sides of the aisle. Because of his experience in the journalism and political worlds, Mr. Sullivan knows through years of experience how best to frame a clients issue so it has the best chance of being successful. [The manufacturers] were really interested in the money.. Here are the key findings of this report: Previous research from Public Citizen revealed how Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google (now organized as a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) had each dramatically increased their lobbying spending and presence in Washington, D.C. from 2010 to 2018. Dan] Patrick did and Ill take Braddock off the House floor, referring to Scott Braddock, a reporter for the Capitol insider publication Quorum Report. "We would be thrilled to see Clardy, somebody else, come back in that district.". Democrats, in sum, received $1.7 million in 2020, while Republicans received $1.4 million. Asked for comment, his office . [30] @RMac18, Twitter (March 11, 2021, 2:59 PM), https://twitter.com/RMac18/status/1370101942978969600. Real quick, you need to hear what I want to do for you.. Senator. company profile page along with the rest of the general data. A starting point, thrown into sharp relief by the broad corporate financial support for Members of Congress who refused to recognize the results of the November 2020 presidential election, would be for Big Tech companies to end their political spending. Children: Joseph, Kelly, Allyson, James. Since many of these lobbyists have more than one of the four Big Tech companies as clients, they may be counted more than once, for each client they lobby on behalf of. He had beautiful manners.. Early in 2021, Axios reported that Kaplan is headhunting for a new U.S. policy chief. Within 48 hours, he had what he needed., We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress. The chip industrys push underscores the tension between President Joe Bidens plans to resurrect high-tech manufacturing in the U.S. and his administrations effort to strengthen environmental protections. Ms. Sullivan has said that she spent. 750 9th Street, N.W., Suite 750 Raised in Southern Nevada, Mr. Sullivan attended the University of Nevada, Reno and graduated with a degree in journalism. Its been an uphill battle, which is playing out in an expensive court fight, but in this latest political saga Sullivan finds himself right where he wants to be: the writer of his own story. Sullivan contends that hes no lobbyist working on behalf of specific interests and that the commissions inquiry is unconstitutional. 9205 W. Russell Road, Suite 340 Now, months after his first session as speaker was widely lauded by members, Bonnens support could be tested. Michael P. O'Leary, an executive who has straddled the worlds of government, lobbying and media, has been named as president and CEO of the National . Download the full report As Washington prepares to pump $39 billion in federal subsidies into new microchip plants, the chip lobby is pressuring the Biden administration to . To protect our site, we cannot process your request right now. He and his wife Terry have four children. During his time on campus, he was editor of the school newspaper Sagebrush. Sullivan first disclosed in late July that the June meeting happened, saying that Bonnen offered his advocacy group, Empower Texans, media credentials on the House floor if the group targeted 10 Republican members of the Texas House. Sullivan is the brash leader of the influential political enterprise Empower Texans, and hes in an all-out battle with the Texas Ethics Commission over his influence at the Capitol. [41], In recent years, Big Tech has also taken its privacy and antitrust battles from the Capitol all the way to state houses. Spaw said she did not discuss Texas Scorecards application with Patrick, and that Scorecard's credentials were approved via the same process as all media. This trend also held true for political contributions, which grew by more than 400 percent from the 2010 cycle to the 2018 cycle. To the offering of media credentials, Bonnen told House members in an email after Sullivan's allegations surfaced in late July, that he "knew, at the end of the day, the House rules not the Speaker determine who gets media credentials. Among the 10 lobbyists who were the biggest contributors to the 2020 election cycle. Crucially, he orchestrated the mob hit that ended with Connor Looney's death. We call specifically on Big Tech corporations, once again, to: These recommendations are just a starting point to fix a broken campaign finance system that empowers big corporations. When Sullivan mentions state Rep. Keith Bell, R-Forney, Burrows interjects: "Leave him alone he's just a dumb freshman.". Beckley said an interview Tuesday that "it is hurtful" to hear Bonnen call her names, and that though he had apologized, it did not feel sincere especially because he had told her and other Democrats he would not target incumbents in 2020. We must act quickly to make our economy run on renewable power and ensure that disadvantaged families and displaced workers share equitably in the new economy. When asked by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks who his political opponents may be, Sullivan referred to House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, and former House member Vicki Truitt of Keller. Washington, D.C. 20001 Nearly two months after it was first revealed that Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt rented a $50-a-night Capitol Hill condo from the wife of a top lobbyist, newly released emails show that relationship was not just limited to an unorthodox rental agreement. Ill put your guys on the floor next session.. Having the people who decide whether theyre going to spend millions of dollars for or against you looking you in the eye while your on the floor voting on bills is a bad idea.. But theres no reporter I know who would think that way.. Rebekah is a Louisiana transplant living in Austin, Texas where she covers state government and the Texas Legislature. Sullivan, Michael J. was born on October 3, 1954. Table 3 lists the top 10 lobbyists that contributed the most funds to political campaigns in 2020. In the race to amass monopoly power in their respective markets, these corporations have developed predatory business practices thatharvest user data for profit[1] and facilitated discrimination by race, religion, national origin,[2] age,[3] and gender. Sullivan has carefully contained the story by allowing only his friends and allies to listen to it. [3] He has been partner at The Ashcroft Group since 2009. He called two dozen lawmakers, telling them that TikTok would be safe in Microsofts hands. The Ethics Commission in 2014 unanimously agreed he was a lobbyist and assessed a $10,000 fine that he is still contesting in court. [5] Sullivan was the prosecutor in the 20012002 criminal trial of Richard Reid, widely known as the "Shoe Bomber". To shut the revolving door for good, Public Citizen recommends that the federal government: We also call for reforms in lobbying disclosures: Lastly, the Securities and Exchange Commission should move forward with a rule requiring corporations to disclose their political activity. Search. Public Citizen advocates for ordinary people by taking on corporate interests and their cronies in government. The Ferraro Group Reno Importantly, the mere fact of a corporate contribution does not automatically compromise a legislator. [20], Lastly, Amazon has hired two Trump confidantes since 2017, Jeff Miller and Brian Ballard, both of whom Public Citizen has exposed as key lobbyists for business interests at large throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]. Alexa Ura and Alex Samuels contributed reporting. But armed with a team of lawyers, Sullivan seems intent on a drawn-out public brawl with the commission to prove his advocacy doesnt constitute lobbying. [34] (The Tech Transparency Project found that Facebook has been similarly papering the town with its PR. While contributions in the Commerce committees are somewhat comparable, there is much more variance in contributions between the Judiciary committees. [28] Reviving Competition, Part 1: Proposals to Address Gatekeeper Power and Lower Barriers to Entry Online, House Committee on the Judiciary (February 25, 2021), https://judiciary.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=4382 (see video recording starting at 1:37:48). 202.441.7089, The Ferraro Group Arizona This year, Empower Texans filed another lawsuit in its quest for media legitimacy, suing Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, who is chairman of House administration, in federal court for rejecting the Texas Scorecards request for House media credentials. This past election cycle has been the most expensive in political spending to date, and also saw the most lobbying spending and campaign contributions to Congress from Big Tech.[12]. (Meanwhile, a UK court ruled in opposition to Uber, concluding drivers should be classified as employees.[48]). mike@theferrarogroup.com CONNECT WITH US The Ferraro Group - Reno 165 West Liberty Street, Suite 210 Reno, Nevada 89501 775.331.4555 [11] There are various reports and hypotheses to explain Googles decreased political spending since 2018, to be discussed later in the report. In that exchange, Burrows did not explicitly endorse primary challenges against the 10 members but made clear in at least one case that he didn't want to see one of them return. Most other corporations that make the top eight list are legacy spenders in Washington. These data sets are a goldmine for academics as well as journalists and interested citizens. Sullivan was born October 3, 1954, the second of seven children, and grew up in Holbrook, Massachusetts. The NRA has called the Joyce Foundation an activist foundation whose "shadowy web of huge donations" leads "straight to puppet strings that control the agenda of gun ban groups". [4] He stepped down in 1995 after being named District Attorney for Plymouth County. [7][8], He prosecuted airport workers arrested at Logan Airport as part of "Operation Tarmac" accused of lying about their nationality on job applications. [25] Sparks added that the battle could last a long time and cost the people of Texas a lot of money.. Not because the checks are big, but because the way the political process works. Times(February 19, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/business/uber-drivers-britain.html. Additionally, he has been a registered lobbyist in Carson City for more than two decades. Beyond lobbying spending, Big Tech corporations have a suite of other tactics to influence legislation. Prior to joining the firm, he was Vice President of State Government Affairs for Porter Gordon Silver Communications. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Ruth Marcus, columnist, The Washington Post. Wanda Garner Cash, who was executive editor of The Facts over Sullivan, said he was a "model reporter." In addition to writing news stories, Sullivan had a weekly opinion column at The Facts in whichhe flexed some right-wing muscle. 4600+ Personen namens Michael Sullivan sind auf LinkedIn und finden hier Informationen, Ideen und Karrierechancen. The search engine giants divestment did not start in 2020, and their motivations are unclear. The 64-minute recording of Sullivan's June meeting with Bonnen and another top House Republican, then-GOP caucus chair Dustin Burrows, was posted on Sullivan's website and the website of WBAP, a talk radio station in Dallas on which Sullivan appeared Tuesday morning. Amazon and Facebooks outspending of Exxon and Philip Morris reflects the compounding legislative and regulatory challenges that Big Tech faces in Washington. According to lawmakers who heard the audio, Bonnen offered to sweeten the pot by revoking the press credentials of the editor of Quorum Report, Scott Braddock, a longtime critic of Empower Texans. Before he secured his presidential election victory, President Biden hired Cynthia Hogan, who was then working as vice president for public policy and government affairs at Apple. [22], Sullivan resigned as Acting Director effective January 20, 2009 to make way for incoming President Barack Obama to name his own nominee. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. He has said his group represents grass-roots. [18], Sullivan's confirmation was opposed by gun rights groups such as the Gun Owners of America,[19] Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms[20] and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. [48] Adam Satariano, Uber Drivers Are Entitled to Worker Benefits, a British Court Rules, N. Y. Image Credits: Battery Ventures. [41] Matt Day & Spencer Soper, Amazon Has Turned a Middle-Class Warehouse Career Into a McJob, Bloomberg (December 17, 2020), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-17/amazon-amzn-job-pay-rate-leaves-some-warehouse-employees-homeless. Dan Patrick, who has received more than $882,000 from Empower Texans, more than the group has given any other candidate. Massachusetts House Representatives from District 7, District Massachusetts United States Department Justice. Amazon significantly increased its spending from 2018 to 2020, by 30%. More recently, it was reported that New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks, while receiving funds from Facebook (indirectly through the Aspen Institute), was also writing and publishing positive words about Facebook as a guest blogger.[32] Brooks, too, failed to disclose his donors before this was reported by journalists. For years, he and the group operated below the radar. Investigate Every Aspect of Money in Politics. Las Vegas, NV 89148 Utilize our advanced search form to filter the search results by Company Name, City, State, Postal Code, She said, Im going to spend that much on marketing this month. Her nonchalance illustrates the scale of the problem just as surely as the data presented in this report does. Most recently he served as a senior advisor to Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Clark County Commission Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Sullivan's residence is in Abington. 2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. [11][12][13], In February 2009, following the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Sullivan announced his intention to resign his position, following the customary practice of U.S. Ill do what [Lt. Gov. Though not new to Amazon, Jay Carney, the companys Senior Vice President for policy and press, will likely have much more access in this administration than ever before. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, OpenSecrets is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Bachelor, Boston College, 1979. I know I respect people like David Duke, Martin Luther King Jr., Ann Simonton and Rush Limbaugh. The commission is attempting to out any source that have contacted (Empower Texans) or had communications with them so that these sources may be silenced, attorneys for Sullivan argue in the complaint. [3], Representing the town of Abington, he was elected as a Republican state representative in 1990. A report given to top officials at the Society of . [3], In 2006, Sullivan was made Acting Director of the ATF by President George W. [38] Lauren Kaori Gurley, Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Companys Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups, Vice (November 23, 2020), https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dp3yn/amazon-leaked-reports-expose-spying-warehouse-workers-labor-union-environmental-groups-social-movements. In a House Judiciary Antitrust subcommittee hearing in February 2021 about competition in digital markets, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) questioned witness Tad Lipsky about the funding for his organization, the Global Antitrust Institute (GAI) at George Mason University. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. No independent media has heard the recording. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, Big Tech spent 5.2% more on lobbying and campaign contributions combined than it did in the 2018 cycle. Bill Cornwell, the former publisher of The Facts, said he also remembered being struck by Sullivan's staunch politics. This website is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation. Filing Jurisdiction, Entity Type, Registered Agent, File Number, Filing Status, and Business Category. But before Sullivan made a name for himself in politics, he was a card-carrying member of what hed today describe as the Fake News media. He said: "You couldn't ignore this, even in light of 9/11. A more holistic set of solutions is contained in the For the People Act (HR1/S1). Times (March 28, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/us/politics/facebook-housing-discrimination.html. Washington, Almost all of the members of these committees, 134 out of 142, or 94%, received a financial contribution from a Big Tech corporate PAC or lobbyist in 2020. Empower Texans Political Action Committee, an affiliated Sullivan enterprise, has spent more than $1 million on state races since late 2013. They may think in their mind that its legit to withhold evidence of corruption because it would hurt Republicans. He was extremely conservative, she recently recalled. In another early column that forecast his antipathy for reporters, Sullivan criticized the media as biased and thin-skinned in his own newspaper, even as he worked as a journalist. Attorneys, who typically do not retain their posts in a new administrations. Corpus Christi attorney Jim Clancy, who previously chaired the Texas Ethics Commission, said media organizations dont report expenditures like lobbyists do. The problem, he said, is that Empower Texans are deep-pocketed donors and lobbyists, and under the rules, those groups aren't entitled to floor access. Yet as Big Tech converts its enormous economic and social power into political influence, our political system is hamstrung from addressing those increasingly serious issues. Sullivan, 49, is of course best known as a political power broker. Sullivan is the chief executive of Empower Texans, a group that's flooded with oil money and is a unique tangle of political lobbying firm, news outlet and deep-pocketed political action committee. When it comes to Big Tech influence via the revolving door, Public Citizen has called on the Biden administration not to hire former Big Tech employees or representatives. While not even in the top eight spenders in 2017, Facebook and Amazon are now the two largest individual lobbying spenders in Washington (see Table 1). His work as U.S. Attorney largely focused on national security and health-care fraud. Sullivan boasts that he's a watchdog, shedding light on politicians behaving badly. Former editor Donna Hunt hired Sullivan on the heels of his college graduation at the Denison Herald, the local newspaper nearSherman where he attended high school.

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