PPP wants clean elections, but hires US firm linked to tampering

Apr 18, 2019 News

By Kiana Wilburg
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been saying for months that its principal concern at this point in time is having free and fair elections. But on March 7, last, the Party contracted the services of lobbying firm, Mercury Public Affairs, which has been implicated in a scheme to hide foreign influence peddling in the American 2016 elections.
Mercury has also been described in the US media as being the “go-to lobbying shop for clients looking to get in the administration’s good graces.”
At his press conference, Kaieteur News challenged Jagdeo to say how his party could express the desire to have “free and fair elections” but still hired a firm that was part of a plot to do the opposite in America.
The Opposition Leader said that based on his research, it is a case of a partner of the firm versus the company. He said, too, that he is “very happy” with the firm, its credentials and bipartisan nature.
Justifying the move by the PPP, Jagdeo said that the party needs a strong presence in Washington. He said that the opinions of many organizations including multilateral financial institutions, and even the American government, could be tainted by the “lies the government has been telling…”
The former President said, “So we needed to have a presence there, so we can bring a balance to what is being peddled and so we took this step and will continue with that presence…”
Jagdeo disclosed that he is aware of the negative reports on the firm, but his main concern is that it is bipartisan and that it is effective in getting the party’s message to the leaders of the US Government. The PPP has paid the company US$150,000 thus for its services in this regard.
Jagdeo also said that the main focus of Mercury Public Affairs is not on the elections campaign, but providing advice on the party’s presence in Washington and ensuring its views are heard by policy makers there at every level. He said that this is already happening. He said, too, that the contract which comes to an end on June 5, 2019, will be reviewed before it is renewed.
PROBE INTO FOREIGN LOBBYING FIRMS
According to two news sites, the Associated Press (AP) and The Hill, prosecutors with the Justice Department (DOJ) are ramping up their investigation into the foreign lobbying of two firms linked to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
The prosecutors have been interviewing witnesses about the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, the AP reported, citing individuals familiar with the investigation. The probe stems from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Mueller handed it off to prosecutors in Manhattan because the issue fell outside the scope of his own probe, according to the AP.
The Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs are believed to be “Company A” and “Company B” as referenced in a grand jury indictment against Manafort and his deputy associate Richard Gates last year. The firms came under scrutiny for their work to benefit a pro-Russia party in Ukraine. They were accused in the grand jury indictment of being paid millions through offshore bank accounts set up by Manafort and Gates.
Manafort faced charges for failing to register as a foreign lobbyist and was convicted of attempting to avoid paying taxes on income he earned for the work.
The firms didn’t register the lobbyists doing work for Ukraine as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act while doing that lobbying. The firms have since registered lobbyists under the act, according to the AP, and said they relied on outside counsel in making their decisions.
Mercury spokesman Michael McKeon told the AP that the firm has “always welcomed any inquiry since we acted appropriately at every step of the process, including hiring a top lawyer in Washington and following his advice.” “We’ll continue to cooperate as we have previously,” he added.
A spokeswoman for Podesta declined comment to the AP. (See Links for more details: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/419907-prosecutors-ramping-up-probe-into-foreign-lobbying-by-firms-linked-to and https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-mueller-targeted-two-lobbying-firms-one-is-thriving-in-trumps-dc?ref=scroll)

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