Build your own tools, design your own mashups or simply display a widget of information based on our comprehensive resources. Now Big Tech has pervasively infiltrated Washington, and dominated spending in nearly every category of possible influence. 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. Sullivan has carefully contained the story by allowing only his friends and allies to listen to it. Now more than ever, with the proliferation of super PACs and 501(c)(4) groups pouring huge sums into campaigns, it's critical to have a reliable and handy source of information on money and politics. "[5], He spoke before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in support of the USA PATRIOT Act in May 2005, urging Congress to make the act's surveillance provisions permanent. Carney previously served as White House press secretary under President Obama and communications director for then-Vice President Biden. 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". Just a month later, Zuckerberg was invited back to the White House for a private dinner.[24]. Cash said shes disappointed today to see Sullivan blanket media with what she considers unfair and mean-spirited attacks. As Washington prepares to pump $39 billion in federal subsidies into new microchip plants, the chip lobby is pressuring the Biden administration to . In total, just in 2020, Big Tech PACs and lobbyists have contributed about $3.2 million to lawmakers tasked with regulating them. Except for the Revolving Door section, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org. [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 Public Citizen published the 2018 report, the four Big Tech corporations have faced greater legal and regulatory challenges than ever before. THE LOBBYIST GROUP, LLC in Birmingham, AL | Company Info & Reviews Company Information Sponsored Links Company Contacts MICHAEL W SULLIVAN Member Reviews Write Review There are no reviews yet for this company. Nearly all (94%) members of Congress with jurisdiction over privacy and antitrust issues have received money from a Big Tech corporate PAC or lobbyist. In the 2018 election cycle, candidates and PACs reported receiving about $4.7 million from the Empower Texans PAC. The Lobbyist Group Ltd Follow View all 2 employees Employees at The Lobbyist Group Ltd Michael Sullivan Owner, The Lobbyist Group Pieter Fourie Owner, Pedenkadee CC See all. A few had even called on the speaker to resign, or issued statements that stopped just short of doing so. The amendment was adopted by the House but reversed the following day under pressure from Democratic leaders. He currently oversees a number of high profile clients on local government issues in a variety of industries, including transportation, banking, the public sector and telecommunications to name a few. He was voted "Legislator of the Year" by the Massachusetts Municipal Organization in 1994. Chip factories use huge amounts of energy and are notoriously thirsty. Massingill said it best, Bonnen recalled. They said that Sullivan was indifferent to their concerns and "exhibits a lack of willingness to address these problems. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. [33] Alex Kantrowitz, The Soft Corruption of Big Techs Antitrust Defense, Big Technology (March 18, 2021), https://bigtechnology.substack.com/p/the-soft-corruption-of-big-techs. Amazon, Apple, and Facebook collectively hired 40 more lobbyists to grow their lobbying corps from 293 in 2018 to 333 in 2020 (Figure 5). Michael has 1 job listed on their profile. [46] Emily Birnbaum, Apple and Google Lobbyists Are Swarming Arizona over a Bill that Would Reform the App Store, Protocol (March 1, 2021), https://www.protocol.com/policy/apple-google-lobbyists-arizona-bill. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Michael Quinn Sullivan's secret audio of Texas House speaker blurs line between journalism, activism, (Erich Schlegel/Special Contribut / The Dallas Morning News), partially motivated by concern that the contents would damage, according to evidence collected by the Texas Ethics Commission, What we know after 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defers comment on revival of sexual harassment lawsuit. This website is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation. Michael Sullivan - Owner - The Lobbyist Group | LinkedIn Sullivan was born October 3, 1954, the second of seven children, and grew up in Holbrook, Massachusetts. And he sees everyone in the media as an activist, so he sees himself and the Scorecard as no different than any other media organization, just coming from a different angle.. As one example, Fiona Scott Morton, a Yale University economist who has published multiple influential articles on the antitrust cases against Facebook and Google, was found in 2020 to have received funds from Amazon and Apple yet failed to disclose them until they was uncovered by reporters.[31]. company profile page along with the rest of the general data. The lobbying group will start asking people how they feel about gerbil energy. Politicians in the United States have events, they have weekend retreats, you have to write a check and then youre invited and participate. Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft, Mick Mulvaney, former U.S. Representative, Big Tech has eclipsed yesterdays big lobbying spenders, Big Oil and Big Tobacco. United States attorney District Massachusetts United States Department Justice, Boston, 20012009, acting director Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) Washington, 20062009. As Washington prepares to pump $39 billion in federal subsidies into new microchip plants, the chip lobby is pressuring the Biden administration to relax environmental review requirements or risk ceding the semiconductor supply chain to China. [40] Rachel M. Cohen, Amazon Retaliated Against Chicago Workers Following Spring COVID-19 Protests, NLRB Finds, Intercept (March 17, 2021), https://theintercept.com/2021/03/17/amazon-covid-chicago-nlrb-strike/. Dark money is alive and growing in influence every election cycle, he said. She also later worked for then-Vice President Biden as counsel. [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. 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. The Biden administration remains worried by the concentration of advanced chip production in Taiwan, which sits just 90 miles from an increasingly hostile China. Microchip industry lobbyists are urging Washington to exclude new projects from the federal environmental reviews attached to huge federal subsidies. The Ferraro Group Reno He was extremely conservative, she recently recalled. In 2020 . In about a month leading up to Mark Zuckerbergs hearing before Congress on March 25, the Project identified 56 messages sponsored by Facebook across ten political newsletters. The foundation of the Big Tech companies influence are their lobbying teams, which use campaign contributions, existing relationships, and past experience to swing policy in their favor. Public Citizen is excited about the momentum around this issue, and urges the federal government to take action on it. [3], In 2006, Sullivan was made Acting Director of the ATF by President George W. [32] Paul Farhi, David Brooks of New York Times Criticized for Undisclosed Financial Ties to Project He Praised, Washington Post (March 4, 2021), https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/david-brooks-facebook-weave-aspen/2021/03/04/2493b798-7d06-11eb-a976-c028a4215c78_story.html. ADDITIONAL LINKS Post Question For This Company [10], Sullivan presented charges, in Boston, on November 23, 2005, against Abdullah Khadr, an Egyptian from Canada who is alleged to have sold arms to the Taliban. Abortion was always a taboo topic in the newsroom. A recent Mother Jones investigation found that Amazon hired at least 247 former U.S. government officials and employees in the past 10 years. His early work revolved around the terrorist attacks, which were launched from Boston's Logan Airport. Michael J. Sullivan (born October 3, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts (20012009) and Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (20062009). [42] Hayley Tsukayama, Virginias Weak Privacy Bill Is Just What Big Tech Wants, EFFs Deeplinks Blog (February 25, 2021), https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/virginias-weak-privacy-bill-just-what-big-tech-wants. It is impossible to quantify how large these additional pieces of the pie are, because of the lack of transparency standards in many of these money flows. Valid email is required, What are you looking for? He said: "You couldn't ignore this, even in light of 9/11. mike@theferrarogroup.com CONNECT WITH US The Ferraro Group - Reno 165 West Liberty Street, Suite 210 Reno, Nevada 89501 775.331.4555 Amid laughs, Bonnen said, "Heres what I wont do. 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. 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. [2] Katie Benner et al., Facebook Engages in Housing Discrimination With Its Ad Practices, U.S. Says, N. Y. [41], In recent years, Big Tech has also taken its privacy and antitrust battles from the Capitol all the way to state houses. The climate crisis is the challenge of our time. [3] He took early steps to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Ted Kennedy in 2000, but retracted before declaring an official candidacy. Additionally, he has been a registered lobbyist in Carson City for more than two decades. Bill Cornwell, the former publisher of The Facts, said he also remembered being struck by Sullivan's staunch politics. [17] Revolving Door Employment History section, Jay Carney, OpenSecrets, https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=78737. [12] Karl Evers-Hillstrom, Most Expensive Ever: 2020 Election Cost $14.4 Billion, OpenSecrets (February 11, 2021), https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/02/2020-cycle-cost-14p4-billion-doubling-16. Democrats and Republicans alike benefitted from these funds, which totaled more than $3 million. In the deal, the commission demanded Sullivan pay a minimal penalty and register as a lobbyist. Filing Jurisdiction, Entity Type, Registered Agent, File Number, Filing Status, and Business Category. He told legislators if they did not vote for issues advocated by Empower Texans, they would lose the organization's endorsement, get low rankings on Texas Scorecard and be subject to political challenges. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. Sullivan asks. Sehen Sie sich die Profile von LinkedIn Mitgliedern an, die Michael Sullivan heien. "All this tape is going to do is make me fight harder," Beckley said. After the Herald, Sullivan moved on to the The Facts which happens to be Bonnen's hometown newspaper. He noted that left-leaning Texas Observer and right-leaning Breitbart have both been granted press credentials in the past. They expressed their concern that the ATF is hostile to small gun dealers, pursuing them overzealously for small paperwork infractions and driving law-abiding small retailers out of business. In November 2020, Public Citizen joined 32 groups in a letter urging President Biden to reject Big Tech appointments to his cabinet. "This was nothing more than a political discussion the problem is that I had it with that guy," Bonnen said in a statement. Michael J. Sullivan has been listed as a noteworthy lobbyist, prosecutor by Marquis Who's Who. Some streams of funding have garnered more attention in recent years. Although all four companies pushed staggering amounts of money into D.C., Amazon increased its spending the fastest. AUSTIN Conservative power broker Michael Quinn Sullivan says hes a journalist, a grass-roots activist and a conservative advocate anything but a lobbyist. Mr. Sullivan will oversee local government public affairs for The Ferraro Group. (Meanwhile, a UK court ruled in opposition to Uber, concluding drivers should be classified as employees.[48]). Throughout the year, Amazon and Facebook spent nearly twice as much as Exxon and Philip Morris did on lobbying. [22], Sullivan resigned as Acting Director effective January 20, 2009 to make way for incoming President Barack Obama to name his own nominee. Whether suing on behalf of our members to ensure the honest functioning of government, or representing individual consumers seeking redress in court, our litigation draws on our expertise in administrative law, constitutional law, and government transparency. Attorneys, who typically do not retain their posts in a new administrations. They may think in their mind that its legit to withhold evidence of corruption because it would hurt Republicans. [14] Horsley says that the ATF has a long track record of abusive behavior and Sullivan, as Acting Director, continued to defend the ATF's abusive actions without any indication of making changes. [7] All of these companies havekilled, rather than fostered innovation.[8]. [15] Cecilia Kang & Kenneth P. Vogel, Tech Giants Amass a Lobbying Army for an Epic Washington Battle, N. Y. Im not surprised about the arch conservatism. His work as U.S. Attorney largely focused on national security and health-care fraud. A spokesperson for the Commerce Departments CHIPS Program Office declined to comment. These data sets are a goldmine for academics as well as journalists and interested citizens. But in court filings, he said that media credentials are reserved for employees of editorially independent entities, and Empower Texans, by contrast, is generally known as a political advocacy organization., Sullivan made inroads in the Senate this year when Texas Scorecard was granted press credentials for the upper chamber. Much of the care that we get is unaffordable, unnecessary or harmful. [30] @RMac18, Twitter (March 11, 2021, 2:59 PM), https://twitter.com/RMac18/status/1370101942978969600. [24] Mike Isaac et al., Now More Than Ever, Facebook Is a Mark Zuckerberg Production, N. Y. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. 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. "He'll show you the list of who we hope someone will show up" to challenge, Bonnen said. [36] Press Release, NYS Attorney General, Attorney General James Files Lawsuit Against Amazon for Failing to Protect Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic (February 17, 2021), https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2021/attorney-general-james-files-lawsuit-against-amazon-failing-protect-workers. Within 48 hours, he had what he needed., We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress. Public Citizen advocates Medicare for All, stronger oversight of dangerous doctors and safe clinical trials. Times (June 5, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/us/politics/amazon-apple-facebook-google-lobbying.html. But in 2010, he stopped. [18], Another key player at Amazon is Brian Huseman, the vice president of public policy. 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. 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 the lobbying group in D.C. knew the truth in Smith's community too. Hunt said she thought Sullivan might one day run for governor. Massachusetts House Representatives from District 7, District Massachusetts United States Department Justice. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption. 120 N. 44th Street, Suite 310 By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan fights lobbyist label, What we know after 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defers comment on revival of sexual harassment lawsuit. If youre a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you., Mick Mulvaney, former U.S. Representative. Bonnen also spoke disparagingly about multiple Democrats, calling one House member vile and suggesting that anothers wifes gonna be really pissed when she learns hes gay., by Cassandra Pollock, Emma Platoff and Patrick Svitek Big Tech corporations are known to have funded trade associations, advocacy organizations and think tanks across the political spectrum, including groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Conservative Union, the Brookings Institution, and the Center for American Progress. Among the 10 lobbyists who were the biggest contributors to the 2020 election cycle. Real quick, you need to hear what I want to do for you.. The Lobbyist Group Ltd | LinkedIn [17] Carney donated close to $3,000 to President Biden during his 2020 presidential campaign. Beyond lobbying spending, Big Tech corporations have a suite of other tactics to influence legislation. On Thursday, Isaacs said a balance can be struck on NEPA that allows new chip manufacturing facilities to begin operations in a timely and environmentally responsible way, achieve the goals of the CHIPS Act, and reinforce Americas economic and national security.. Then in January 2021, Public Citizen joined 46 other groups in another letter, this time specifically urging President Biden to appoint antitrust enforcers without Big Tech ties. Keffer would like nothing more than to shame, harass and intimidate Empower Texans and its subscribers, Sullivan said in court. Crucially, he orchestrated the mob hit that ended with Connor Looney's death. About every 20 years in Texas, there is a major scandal that is tied back to big money corruption and we are about due, Bresnen said. Basically Everything, PC Mag (April 8, 2020), https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-does-big-tech-know-about-you-basically-everything. While its release prompted immediate outcry from Democrats and silence from Republicans, Bonnen said in a statement that the audio makes clear he did nothing criminally wrong in the conversation, adding that the "House can finally move on." [43] Other states such as Washington, New Jersey, and Utah are considering state privacy bills as well and Big Tech is likely to be in the rooms with lawmakers before they pass. Laura Sullivan/NPR . From 2001 to 2009, Sullivan registered as a lobbyist with the state. [24] He relied on volunteers rather than paid organizations to gather signatures. JOIN THE MOVEMENT If journalists are to be taken seriously by the public, they need to put away their bleeding hearts and toughen their skin, he said in a 1994 column. As with other industries and companies, Big Tech spends far more on lobbying than campaign contributions. [19] Cecilia Kang & Kenneth P. Vogel, Tech Giants Amass a Lobbying Army for an Epic Washington Battle, N. Y. [29] Speaking to the insidious but covert impacts of undisclosed conflicts of interest, Rep. Jones concluded his line of questioning by stating, Secret corporate funding has undermined our democracy., This funding, of course, is also not new to corporate strategy in Washington. Democrats, in sum, received $1.7 million in 2020, while Republicans received $1.4 million. Kaplan and Facebook are now scrambling to find lead lobbyists with Democratic bonafides. Importantly, the mere fact of a corporate contribution does not automatically compromise a legislator. Bonnen could also be heard speaking disparagingly about multiple Democrats, calling one House member vile and suggesting that anothers wifes gonna be really pissed when she learns hes gay.. In todays information age, if everyone who writes a post on Facebook is a journalist, then all political expenditures and even paid lobbying would not be required to be reported, Clancy said. [42] The bill was, however, endorsed by Amazon, Microsoft, and other tech trade industry groups. Who is available? Asked for comment, his office said that credentials were handled by Senate Secretary Patsy Spaw. Juris Doctor, Suffolk University, 1983. While many industries, like highway builders or other infrastructure contractors, have decades of experience dealing with the law, its something new for the semiconductor industry and its hoping to avoid it, arguing that any delays could spell trouble for Washingtons broader chip plans. A gun-control lobbying group funded largely by billionaire Michael Bloomberg just helped Democrats take over the state government in Virginia - right in the National Rifle Association's backyard. 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. Braddock said the issue is not that Empower Texans is conservative. In February 2021, Google hired Anne Wall, former Obama staffer, aide at U.S. Treasury, and floor director for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to lead U.S. and Canada government affairs at Google. "If I still have the same 10 moderate Republicans who don't want to help on anything, I'm still unable to do what you and I would want done," Bonnen told Sullivan about 11 minutes into the conversation. Joe Nixon, a former lawmaker and another Empower Texans attorney, also declined comment. Time is of the essence, David Isaacs, vice president of government affairs at SIA, told POLITICO on Thursday. Sullivan was defeated in the primary by Gabriel E. Gomez who garnered 93,632, or 51% of the votes. Wall will report to Googles vice president of government affairs and public policy, Mark Isakowitz (notably, a Republican). The Lobbyist Group, LLC :: Alabama (US) :: OpenCorporates [21] The NRA did not categorically state its opposition to the confirmation of Mr. Sullivan but expressed its concern over the ATF's "overly restrictive legal interpretations" and "overly zealous enforcement activities". We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Utilize our advanced search form to filter the search results by Company Name, City, State, Postal Code, The Ethics Commission in 2014 unanimously agreed he was a lobbyist and assessed a $10,000 fine that he is still contesting in court. His legislative scorecards grade lawmakers commitment to spending cuts and fiscal responsibility. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In a recent internal all staff meeting at Facebook, one employee asked about how Facebook is different from Big Tobacco, when it funds research about the societal problems it is causing. Its been remarkable; its almost like a creature has been formed out of this person we used to know as MichaelSullivan, she said. Sullivan declined to comment for this story, as he has for every request for an interview from The Dallas Morning News for at least 19 months. But when you find corruption, which they say they have, you would publish it, he said. 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. His first job was with the Las Vegas Sun newspaper where he worked as a reporter under the direction of former Nevada Governor Mike OCallaghan. In 2006 he became CEO of Empower Texans, an oil-money backed conservative advocacy organization known for attacking moderate Republicans and demanding party purity. Member Massachusetts House Representatives from District 7, 19911995. Blitz Ahead of Zuckerberg Testimony, Tech Transparency Project (March 9, 2021), https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-launches-pr-blitz-ahead-of-zuckerberg-testimony.
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