Special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian election interference has now led investigators to to turn their sights on D.C. lobbying powerhouse Tony Podesta for his firm’s effort to burnish Ukraine’s image through a PR campaign.
Investigators have already focused on former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort. FBI agents searched his home in an early-morning raid this summer.
Now, after probing his efforts on behalf of Ukraine and a Ukrainian political party, investigators have turned to the Podesta Group, a Democratic firm that joined in a PR effort overseen by Manafort to burnish the nation’s image, NBC News reported.
Manafort did work for a pro-Moscow Ukrainian political party and showed up in a ledger of off-the-books payments that drew scrutiny during the campaign.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff is also investigating Washington lobbyist Tony Podesta and his firm in connection with work they did on behalf of a nonprofit connected to a Ukrainian political party
He also oversaw the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU), an effort to boos the country’s image in the west through funding a nonprofit.
According to NBC, sources said a fact-finding mission about Manafort and his role has led to a criminal inquiry into whether the Podesta Group violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The law requires proper disclosure when a firm does work on behalf of a foreign country. The report called it a criminal inquiry.
Podesta is a top Democratic lobbyist whose brother John Podesta chaired Hillary Clinton’s campaign. During that campaign, John Podesta’s personal email account got hacked, leading to a slew of embarrassing disclosures. Clinton has cited Russia as a top reason she lost the election.
FARA’s requirements also encompass lobbing firms who do work on behalf of a political party, and require a disclosure form be filed with the Justice Department.
THIS COULD GET UGLY: Podesta’s firm was part of a PR effort overseen by former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort
Podesta is a top Democratic lobbyist and brother of John Podesta, who helped run Hillary Clinton’s campaign
Both Manafort’s firm and the Podesta Group only filed amended forms acknowledging the work after it got reported in the media.
The firm filed paperwork in April where it acknowledged doing the work, having earlier relied on assurances from the nonprofit that it was not connected to a political party, Politico reported at the time. It made disclosures to Congress but not the Justice Department on that belief, the firm said.
GOP nominee Donald Trump, flanked from left by campaign manager Paul Manafort, and daughter Ivanka Trump, checks the podium early Thursday afternoon in preparation for accepting the GOP nomination to be President at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday July 21, 2016
Manafort did millions of dollars worth of consulting work for the Party of Regions, a pro-Moscow Ukrainian political party.
According to a spokesperson for the Podesta Group: “The Podesta Group fully disclosed its representation of the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECFMU), and complied with FARA by filing under the lobbying disclosure act over five years ago and within weeks of starting our work. Any insinuation to the contrary is false.’
The spokesperson added: ‘The Podesta Group has fully cooperated with the Special Counsel’s office and taken every possible step to provide documentation that confirms compliance with the law. Based on our due diligence and on the recommendation of definitive legal experts, the firm immediately filed the appropriate public disclosures of its representation of the ECFMU over five years ago, and in eight subsequent public filings.’
The spokesperson continued: ‘The Podesta Group’s work for ECFMU, a non profit think tank, was in support of Ukraine’s admission to the EU, a position supported by foreign policy experts at the time. The ECFMU provided formal certification that it was neither funded by nor directed by a government or political party.’