Tony Podesta stepping down from lobbying giant amid Mueller probe

Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.

Podesta announced his decision during a firm-wide meeting Monday morning and is alerting clients of his impending departure.

Podesta is handing over full operational and financial control to longtime firm CEO Kimberley Fritts, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting. Fritts and a senior group of the Podesta team will be launching a new firm in the next one or two days. Sources said the transition has been in the works for the past several months.

Politico

And the fallout of the Mueller investigation continues. Doubtless there will be spin aplenty from both sides in regards to who has more mud on them. Interesting that the direction the aftermath of the Mueller investigation seems to be having is not quite what some were hoping for.

It looks like all of this has been having an affect upon the lobbying group for some time:

Podesta Group has struggled in the wake of the Mueller investigation. More than a dozen of its lobbying clients have cut ties with the firm this year, according to lobbying filings. Revenues have also declined: The firm brought in an estimated $4.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, down from $5.2 million in the second quarter of 2017 and from $6.1 million in the third quarter of 2016.

Related ATS threads:

Manafort Charged by FBI

More indictments guaranteed....back to 2006

Manafort Indictment perhaps shows some Russian collusion

Breaking: First Charges Filed in Mueller Investigation

Paul Manafort - a look back

Todays other indictment DOES show Trumps team sought dirt on Hillary from Kremlin

And we thought the circuses that were the 2016 election cycle were absurd. I don't think we've seen anything yet.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Looking at everything, I think that Podesta, possibly others at Podesta Group as well as those at Mercury, are going to eventually go down for not filing as foreign agents while they were working with Manafort/Gates to lobby for the Ukrainian government.

From the indictment:

22. At the direction of MANAFORT and GATES, Company A and Company B engaged in extensive lobbying. Among other things, they lobbied multiple Members of Congress and their staffs about Ukraine sanctions, the validity of Ukraine elections, and the propriety of Yanukov's imprisoning of his presidential rival, Yulia Tymoshenko (who had served as Ukraine President prior to Yanukovych). MANAFORT and GATES also lobbied in connection with the roll out of a report concerning the Tymoshenko trial commissioned by the Government of Ukraine. MANAFORT and GATES used one of their offshore accounts to funnel $4 million to pay secretly for the report.

From a 2014 article in The Daily Beast:

Ukraine’s D.C. Lobbyists in Disarray as Dictator Flees

The two firms that got the ECFMU contract are the Podesta Group, which is run by the brother of White House special counselor John Podesta, Tony; and Mercury, a public relations firm staffed by former GOP Congressman Vin Weber and other Republican lobbyists.

Ed Kutler, a lobbyist representing the ECFMU for Mercury told the Daily Beast, “We are waiting to see what happens on the ground in Ukraine. But we are still talking to staff and think tank people who come to us and ask us what is happening in the Ukraine. The fact is every five minutes there is a new headline and obviously a changing situation and we need to see how events settle in.” "We’re awaiting guidance from the European Centre for what if any work they have for us in the future,” said one source in Washington familiar with the lobbying efforts from the two groups. Another former lobbyist for the Centre told The Daily Beast the account was now in up in the air.

These sources say the last major push from the ECFMU lobbyists was in the fall when they pressed lawmakers to oppose a resolution from Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip, calling for the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister who was convicted and jailed in 2011 under the Yanukovych regime on corruption charges. On Feb. 22 she was released from prison.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I agree and kudos to you for being fare minded.

You get a lot of guff just like I do, and though we come from different perspectives, I respect you, and think that both of us deep down want the same thing; the end of this corruption and a government that works for its people.

Now this doesnt mean Trump wont eventually be connected.

But as of right now, the most clear next targets seem to be the Podesta group and Mercury.

If thaats true, how will the dmeocrats explain this away given the near year long complaint of trump being involved wit Russsians, or for thaat matter the republicans that worked with the Podesta group?

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Left or right. . . I'm just sitting back and enjoying the fallout.

So many politicians and power brokers playing by their own rules for so long finally falling.

*giggles and claps hands in glee*

originally posted by: Grambler
a reply to: theantediluvian

I agree and kudos to you for being fare minded.

You get a lot of guff just like I do, and though we come from different perspectives, I respect you, and think that both of us deep down want the same thing; the end of this corruption and a government that works for its people.

Now this doesnt mean Trump wont eventually be connected.

But as of right now, the most clear next targets seem to be the Podesta group and Mercury.

If thaats true, how will the dmeocrats explain this away given the near year long complaint of trump being involved wit Russsians, or for thaat matter the republicans that worked with the Podesta group?

I'll add from the Hillary perspective, the key is David Adams:

www.podesta.com...

Hired on to liaison between State Dept affairs and Podesta Group.

originally posted by: Throes

originally posted by: Grambler
a reply to: theantediluvian

I agree and kudos to you for being fare minded.

You get a lot of guff just like I do, and though we come from different perspectives, I respect you, and think that both of us deep down want the same thing; the end of this corruption and a government that works for its people.

Now this doesnt mean Trump wont eventually be connected.

But as of right now, the most clear next targets seem to be the Podesta group and Mercury.

If thaats true, how will the dmeocrats explain this away given the near year long complaint of trump being involved wit Russsians, or for thaat matter the republicans that worked with the Podesta group?

I'll add from the Hillary perspective, the key is David Adams:

www.podesta.com...

Hired on to liaison between State Dept affairs and Podesta Group.

Just like the anonymous insider on Tucker said.

www.abovetopsecret.com...



Think of this, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs and chief legislative adviser to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a russian plant steering her moves. What damage could he have done? Did he have a security clearance?

Meanwhile, Russians were giving Bill money, and money to the Clinton foundation.

Its looking ugly.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

My...how unexpected.

a reply to: Grambler

For sure. Mueller will have no credibility if he doesn't go after Podesta. Podesta did all the same stuff as Manafort, except he was working for the Democrats. This is the point where Hillary and Obama will unavoidably get dragged into the investigation, because they are close associates of the Podestas.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Left or right. . . I'm just sitting back and enjoying the fallout.

So many politicians and power brokers playing by their own rules for so long finally falling.

*giggles and claps hands in glee*

No doubt this was my biggest hope and dream of a trump presidency, that the corrupt would froth at the mouth over him so badly they screwed up and left themselves open to get got.

I know the true power players wont go down, but I can enjoy middle management finally getting served some justice.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

I can't understand why he would step down. They have Skype nowadays must get a few phone calls a month from club fed.

It's like a mob boss stepping down because he got caught. Something tells me his company knows exactly what they do.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Tony Podesta will get immunity in 3...2...1...

For the record, the spin on this seems to be that there is no proof John Podesta works with the Podesta group anymore.

This is how far we have fallen.

a reply to: Grambler

After watching that Tucker interview, it puts a lot more meaning into "after my election I'll have more flexability" doesn't it.


Let the chips fall where they may, its past time to clean out that cesspool, on both sides.

Not holding my breath though

The bomb shells are not over.

This is only just getting started, imo.

Now we just have to figure out where the him and his brother were the night Madeline McCann was abducted, also see if his brother is the Skippy mentioned on the netflix series the keepers, well really we could go on and on about all the things that need to be looked into with this crowd.

originally posted by: Mike.Ockizard
a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Tony Podesta will get immunity in 3...2...1...

Tony Podesta gets 'suicided' in 3...2...1...

a reply to: theantediluvian

Mueller will/has already giv(en) immunity to Tony. The woman they haven't announced yet is Natalia Vladimirovna Veselnitskay. They laundered money through the Ukrainian Nadra bank and sold HEU to Iran. Sloppy work. All this is out there and has been. Big coverup attempt in process. Manafort and Natalia are the fall guys/persons.

a reply to: Grambler

The woman's name they will release at some point is Natalia Vladimirovna Veselnitskay.

The Podesta Group was thee premier lobbying firm in D.C.

This stinks to high heaven he is not indicted with Manafort.

Essentially he is getting time to bury a lot of the dirt away
and make nice arrangements for everyone before he is handed
a hall pass.

Mueller needs to resign, or he'll end up like Comey, with a
book deal and a worse reputation.

originally posted by: toetheline
Now we just have to figure out where the him and his brother were the night Madeline McCann was abducted, also see if his brother is the Skippy mentioned on the netflix series the keepers, well really we could go on and on about all the things that need to be looked into with this crowd.

It still freaks me out how much both brothers resemble the suspect in that police sketch.