"MANCHIN'S CHIEF LANDS ON K STREET: Wes Kungel, a longtime aide to one of the most coveted Senate votes of the Biden era, West Virginia independent Joe Manchin, has joined Acorn Consulting as a vice president.
Kungel had worked for Manchin since 2015, most recently as his chief of staff. Kungel’s work for Manchin includes the beginning of the Biden administration, when the now-former senator held immense sway over Biden’s and congressional Democrats’ agenda.
At Acorn Consulting, Kungel will work with energy and infrastructure clients — dealing with many of the same issues that made up the cornerstone of Manchin’s policy work as now-former chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee."
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HER WORD IS HER BONDI: Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department, faced only a handful of questions in her confirmation hearing today about her past lobbying work with Ballard Partners.
— But under questioning from Senate Judiciary ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bondi refused to commit to recusing herself from issues involving former clients at the firm — a list that includes major players like Amazon, Uber, General Motors, Major League Baseball and the private prison company Geo Group.
— “If there are any conflicts with anyone I represented in private practice, I would consult with the career ethics officials within the department and make the appropriate decision,” Bondi told Durbin when pressed about the omission of her lobbying clients on a written questionnaire about potential conflicts of interest.
— Bondi went on to note that she would not be the first attorney general with a lobbying rap sheet, so to speak, and demurred again on categorically recusing from former clients when Durbin pointed out that Geo Group is a federal contractor that stands to benefit from Trump proposed immigration policies.
— She also defended her work on behalf of the Qatari government, which involved helping the wealthy Gulf nation burnish its reputation on human trafficking ahead of the 2022 World Cup. “I am very proud of the work that I did,” Bondi said, adding that she wishes she had worked for them longer.
— Later on in the hearing, Bondi skirted questions about the fate of another client of her former firm — though not a former client of Bondi’s personally. Our Josh Gerstein writes that Bondi dodged inquiries from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) about whether she would enforce the law that would ban TikTok that’s set to go into effect this weekend unless the app is sold.
— Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to block the ban from going into effect, but Bondi told Blumenthal that the matter is “pending litigation within the Department of Justice” and that she couldn’t discuss pending litigation.
WILES-ING OUT: Yet another top lobbying firm from the Sunshine State is planting a flag in D.C. and flexing its ties to the incoming administration. Rubin, Turnbull & Associates will open its first office in Washington, the firm announced today, and has hired Caroline Wiles — the daughter of incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — to help lead the new office as a vice president of federal affairs.
— Rubin, Turnbull has had a presence in D.C. since 2021, thanks to a strategic partnership with K Street giant Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, but the firm only reported lobbying activity on behalf of four of its six federal clients during the third quarter of 2024, the most recent quarter for which reports are available.
— Caroline Wiles is an alum of Trump’s first administration as well as his most recent presidential campaign and is a Florida political veteran, having worked for now-Sen. Rick Scott as well as the 2012 GOP convention in Tampa.
— She’s also not the first Wiles offspring to land a new role on K Street since the election. Continental Strategy — the Florida-based government affairs shop started by a former Florida lawmaker and Trump adviser — promoted Katie Wiles, Caroline's sister, as part of an expansion of its federal lobbying work days after Trump’s victory in November.
— In a statement provided by the firm, Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita hailed Caroline Wiles’ hire as a “major addition” for Rubin, Turnbull. “Her work ethic and commitment will be a massive asset in navigating the complex world that is Washington D.C.,” he said. (And FWIW, LaCivita’s son, Chris LaCivita Jr., has gotten in the K Street game since the election too, helping open a D.C. office for North Carolina government affairs shop Checkmate.)
