The Garner Group: Lisa Rawlins; Michael Garner: The Holt Company: Tom Holt: THE NEXUS GROUP LLC* FRED YANCEY; Michael Moran: THE TSB GROUP* TIMOTHY BOYD: The Warren Group, LLC: Dave Warren: The Whitener Group: Marie Sullivan; Matthew Randazzo: THEA ZAJAC: THEA ZAJAC: THOMAS A MCBRIDE SR: THOMAS MCBRIDE: Thomas A Perrick: Thomas Perrick: THOMAS . Amazon and Facebook drove the great majority of growth in lobbying spending throughout the last two years. [14] Brody Mullins & Ted Mann, Google Axes Lobbyists Amid Growing Government Scrutiny, Wall Street Journal (June 12, 2019), https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-facing-more-scrutiny-overhauls-lobbying-and-public-affairs-operations-11560331803. What the semiconductor companies want is some certainty, Shivakumar said. Its been an uphill battle, which is playing out in an expensive court fight, but in this latest political saga Sullivan finds himself right where he wants to be: the writer of his own story. Phoenix, AZ 85034 I know I respect people like David Duke, Martin Luther King Jr., Ann Simonton and Rush Limbaugh. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption. At the same time he refuses to release his exclusive recording of his meeting with Bonnen. More systemic solutions are also required. This past election cycle has been the most expensive in political spending to date, and also saw the most lobbying spending and campaign contributions to Congress from Big Tech.[12]. 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. From 2001 to 2009, Sullivan registered as a lobbyist with the state. Ill do what [Lt. Gov. Sullivan contends that hes no lobbyist working on behalf of specific interests and that the commissions inquiry is unconstitutional. [email protected] CONNECT WITH US The Ferraro Group - Reno 165 West Liberty Street, Suite 210 Reno, Nevada 89501 775.331.4555 His interaction with lawmakers, however, remained the same, according to evidence collected by the Texas Ethics Commission. The U.S. government should work for the public, not corporations or industry. Three people who recalled working with him in the '90s at the Denison Herald now the Herald Democrat and the TheFactsin Brazosport separately described him as a talented, reliable reporter with such strong conservative convictions that they all assumed he'd go into politics. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, "certainly" will testify against his ex-lobbying partner Bijan Kian at a trial this summer, a Virginia-based federal . 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Roughly 45 minutes into the conversation, after Bonnen apparently leaves the room, Burrows begins speaking, telling Sullivan that banning taxpayer-funded lobbying, a conservative priority that failed this year, will be the "benchmark for next session." Figure 7 show how much Big Tech PACs and lobbyists have given to members of these committees, respectively. Massachusetts House Representatives from District 7, District Massachusetts United States Department Justice. Because of his experience in the journalism and political worlds, Mr. Sullivan knows through years of experience how best to frame a clients issue so it has the best chance of being successful. Not only do they stand at the top of the list, Facebook and Amazon lead the pack of corporate lobbying spenders by a significant margin. [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. Michael J. Sullivan has been listed as a noteworthy lobbyist, prosecutor by Marquis Who's Who. He and his wife Terry have four children. US Senate ballot", "Gabriel E. Gomez wins GOP nod in special US Senate primary; Edward J. Markey to run for the Democrats", "FORMER PROSECUTOR, REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE MIKE SULLIVAN ENDORSES GOMEZ - Gabriel Gomez for U.S. Senate", Animal crackers: US Attorney Michael Sullivan should have fortified his own glass house before casting stones at Tom Finneran, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Sullivan_(U.S._Attorney)&oldid=1105846594, Directors of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, United States Attorneys for the District of Massachusetts, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 August 2022, at 02:37. The lobbying group will start asking people how they feel about gerbil energy. Updated: 3 PM Central. A native of the Holbrook-Abington region, Sullivan served . While not even in the top eight spenders in 2017, Facebook and Amazon are now the two largest individual lobbying spenders in Washington (see Table 1). 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.. [21] According to ProPublica, Brian Ballards lobbying shops contract is still active with Amazon, as is Jeff Millers. In a House Judiciary Antitrust subcommittee hearing in February 2021 about competition in digital markets, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) questioned witness Tad Lipsky about the funding for his organization, the Global Antitrust Institute (GAI) at George Mason University. [28] His daughter Alyson Sullivan represents the 7th Plymouth District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. 4600+ Personen namens Michael Sullivan sind auf LinkedIn und finden hier Informationen, Ideen und Karrierechancen. [20], Lastly, Amazon has hired two Trump confidantes since 2017, Jeff Miller and Brian Ballard, both of whom Public Citizen has exposed as key lobbyists for business interests at large throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Buck Wood is a Texas elections and campaign finance attorney and critic of Sullivans. 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. 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. if the company chooses to hide the private information on their profile from the general public. "Clardy's the ringleader of all opposition," Burrows tells Sullivan, referring to state Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches. With billions ready to be spent under the CHIPS and Science Act, industry lobbyists worry the laws review requirements could delay domestic chip production for years. OpenSecrets is tracking political donations from Biden's ambassador nominees, Cabinet and other appointees, and bundlers. Married Terry Sullivan, 1975. Senator. Bonnen, Sullivan said, "offered to take an official government action in exchange if I would just go after his political foes. [23], For example, The New York Times reported on a trip Zuckerberg took to Washington in September 2019. Additionally, he has been a registered lobbyist in Carson City for more than two decades. Just in the past month, an Axios newsletter has featured several advertisements from Amazon about raising the federal minimum wage, from Facebook about passing internet regulations, and from Google flaunting its new philanthropic enterprises. In total, just in 2020, Big Tech PACs and lobbyists have contributed about $3.2 million to lawmakers tasked with regulating them. This is an update of that report, based on data provided by theCenter for Responsive Politics. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, Big Tech spent 5.2% more on lobbying and campaign contributions combined than it did in the 2018 cycle. He was so articulate and always beautifully groomed. Introduction It is not susceptible to easy solutions. [13] Note that this sum does not represent unique individuals. A more holistic set of solutions is contained in the For the People Act (HR1/S1). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Texas Ethics Commission and Empower Texans President Michael Quinn Sullivan clashed. [4] Facebook and Google have wielded unprecedented influenceover our democratic process. To the offering of media credentials, Bonnen told House members in an email after Sullivan's allegations surfaced in late July, that he "knew, at the end of the day, the House rules not the Speaker determine who gets media credentials. He was extremely conservative, she recently recalled. [13] The only corporation that lost in its ranks was Google, which in 2020 was down six lobbyists from 103 in 2018. By Michael Warren, Manu Raju and Alex Rogers, . Mr. Sullivan was also president of his own government affairs firm, Knight Government Affairs, and a partner in Paladin Advertising, a southern Nevada political consulting agency. Partner The Ashcroft Group, LLC, since 2009. Hunt said she thought Sullivan might one day run for governor. State Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat who serves as chair of the caucus, had perhaps the most notable statement, saying that, for him personally, the revelations are incompatible with Mr. Bonnen serving another term as Speaker., State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, who Bonnen discussed recruiting a GOP challenger against, said the Speaker has lost his way and that Texas deserves leaders who will put people over politics.. The registration fee during those . He sent emails to lawmakers telling them to support or reject bills. A few had even called on the speaker to resign, or issued statements that stopped just short of doing so. She said she remembers an affable, hardworking, young reporter who showed up for his interview with his mother by his side. Reno, Nevada 89501 Most other corporations that make the top eight list are legacy spenders in Washington. JOIN THE MOVEMENT [3], In 2006, Sullivan was made Acting Director of the ATF by President George W. This trend also held true for political contributions, which grew by more than 400 percent from the 2010 cycle to the 2018 cycle. They said that Sullivan was indifferent to their concerns and "exhibits a lack of willingness to address these problems. [38] Lauren Kaori Gurley, Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Companys Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups, Vice (November 23, 2020), https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dp3yn/amazon-leaked-reports-expose-spying-warehouse-workers-labor-union-environmental-groups-social-movements. [45] But the monopolists put up a good fight: in the lead up to the vote on the bill, they hired every lobbyist in town.[46], Tech companies not covered in this report, like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash, and Postmates, spent a stunning $200 million lobbying for a ballot initiative that would reclassify their drivers as employees instead of independent contractors, thereby reducing cost and liability for themselves. [35] Facebook Launches P.R. Questions Post Question There are no questions yet for this company. Sullivan asserted that he was acting as a journalist and his activities were protected by the First Amendment. We are told women want to be treated as complete and utter equals, but we cant tell risque locker room jokes, for fear of sexual harassment lawsuits, he wrote in 1995 22 years before the #MeToo movement would rankle conservative pundits. He called two dozen lawmakers, telling them that TikTok would be safe in Microsofts hands. As Washington prepares to pump $39 billion in federal subsidies into new microchip plants, the chip lobby is pressuring the Biden administration to . Sales, Account Management and P&L responsibility of all . In just eight years, their spending grew to $118 million. Big Techs lobbyists are not just numerous, they are also among the most influential in Washington. Now Big Tech has pervasively infiltrated Washington, and dominated spending in nearly every category of possible influence. . But in 2010, he stopped. There was not much compromise.. If you are in need of enterprise level search, please consider signing up for a Bizapedia Pro Search account as described on this page. Sullivan is the chief executive of Empower Texans, a group that's flooded with oil money and is a unique tangle of political lobbying firm, news outlet and deep-pocketed political action committee. Chief Sales Officer (CSO) & President of Commercial Markets. Well, his wifes gonna be really pissed when she learns hes gay.. Partner McGovern & Sullivan, 19901995. Exxon Mobil (Big Oil), Philip Morris (Big Tobacco), Amazon, and Facebook (Big Tech). For years, he and the group operated below the radar. Download the full report Public Citizen is excited about the momentum around this issue, and urges the federal government to take action on it. Owner, The Lobbyist Group Birmingham, Alabama, United . But he also argued in court that legacy media couldnt have special privileges not extended to regular citizens who engage in media activity. Discover. The chip industrys push underscores the tension between President Joe Bidens plans to resurrect high-tech manufacturing in the U.S. and his administrations effort to strengthen environmental protections. Sullivan has carefully contained the story by allowing only his friends and allies to listen to it. In the deal, the commission demanded Sullivan pay a minimal penalty and register as a lobbyist. In 2020 . Sujai Shivakumar, director of the Renewing American Innovation Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said environmental concerns shouldnt interfere with the national security goals that underpin the CHIPS and Science Acts billions of dollars in manufacturing subsidies. +93 20 22 34 790 [email protected]. 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. [20] David Corn & Dan Spinelli, Amazon Has Become a Prime Revolving-Door Destination in Washington, Mother Jones (March 2, 2021), https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/amazon-has-become-a-prime-revolving-door-destination-in-washington/. 702.367.7771, The Ferraro Group Washington D.C. Ms. Sullivan's case is unusual; few unpaid advocates spend more than $5,000 on an issue, the annual threshold for registering as a lobbyist in New York. I can tell you [political spending] plays an important role. Washington, The report was produced with assistance from the Joyce Foundation's Communications Director and with contributions from gun control advocates such as Kristen Rand and Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center. Career Associate Bolles & Pritchard, 19831990. Wall will report to Googles vice president of government affairs and public policy, Mark Isakowitz (notably, a Republican). ", About halfway through the conversation, Bonnen reiterated to Sullivan that Burrows would list members to potentially target in the 2020 primaries, saying he had "some folks if you want to go pop.". The room dissolved in laughter before Bonnen turned to discuss other members of the lower chambers minority party. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. In total, the five Big Tech lobbyists on this list have contributed over $2 million to campaigns during the 2020 election cycle. They are now the parents to three children and continue to live in Alabama where they are raising their family. In his meeting with Bonnen that was recorded, Sullivan alleges the speaker dangled the coveted media credentials as an incentive to do his bidding going easy on some Republicans in the next election and targeting others. Filing Jurisdiction, Entity Type, Registered Agent, File Number, Filing Status, and Business Category. Bachelor, Boston College, 1979. In 2014 alone, Empower Texans spent almost $700,000 in legal fees to fight the penalty, according to documents obtained by Quorum Report. In fact, Amazon spent about 30% more than the next biggest spender, Comcast (Table 2). Before he took his first job, Sullivan the son of a homemaker and high school football coach was a proud Aggie at Texas A&M, where he was a member of the College Republicans, a chaplain for the Corps of Cadets and a columnist for the student newspaper. Since Public Citizen published the 2018 report, the four Big Tech corporations have faced greater legal and regulatory challenges than ever before. 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.. [24] Mike Isaac et al., Now More Than Ever, Facebook Is a Mark Zuckerberg Production, N. Y. [3], Representing the town of Abington, he was elected as a Republican state representative in 1990. 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. They may think in their mind that its legit to withhold evidence of corruption because it would hurt Republicans. "We would be thrilled to see Clardy, somebody else, come back in that district.". 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. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. During his time on campus, he was editor of the school newspaper Sagebrush. Dark money is alive and growing in influence every election cycle, he said. Nearly all (94%) members of Congress with jurisdiction over privacy and antitrust issues have received money from a Big Tech corporate PAC or lobbyist. The commission is attempting to out any source that have contacted (Empower Texans) or had communications with them so that these sources may be silenced, attorneys for Sullivan argue in the complaint. Increased investments in Washington have allowed these monopolists to harm consumers, workers, and other businesses alike, with relatively little accountability to date. To protect our site, we cannot process your request right now. Sullivan regularly had multiple front page bylines tackling local government, community stories and politics before he went on to work for another son of Brazoria County Congressman Ron Paul. [41], In recent years, Big Tech has also taken its privacy and antitrust battles from the Capitol all the way to state houses. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 [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. Facebook and Amazons ascent was rapid. In a hearing on Feb. 1, House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said chip manufacturers are coming to us looking for exemptions from NEPA, because the federal dollars are triggering long and erroneous environmental reviews for them., In a Friday statement, McMorris Rodgers warned that Washington will be unable to beat China in the fight over microchips and other tech if new projects are bogged down and delayed by Americas burdensome regulatory and permitting environment. She said the issue should have been addressed before Congress spent tens of billions of dollars on chip subsidies, but added that House Republicans will continue to lead on solutions that address permitting issues for every industry in our economy.. 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. While it remains to be seen who will fill that role, it seems that Facebook aims for the new lobbying head to be a friendly face to President Biden and the newly empowered Democratic Congress. Michael Sullivan is an Alabama native who at one time was called Mountain Brooke's "Most Eligible Bachelor." Most of his lobbying activity came out of his practice in Montgomery, Alabama. [15] This leverage is being wielded to impact D.C. decisionmakers on everything from privacy regulations to tax law. But recent lobbying disclosures filed in the House and Senate show the commission has hired a lobbyist from Capitol Hill Consulting, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm. Let me see what I can do to help you., Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft, Microsoftsquiet pursuitto buy TikTok suddenly appeared dead a month ago so Brad Smith, the tech giants president, went to work. [48] Adam Satariano, Uber Drivers Are Entitled to Worker Benefits, a British Court Rules, N. Y. Crucially, he orchestrated the mob hit that ended with Connor Looney's death. 202.441.7089, The Ferraro Group Arizona Rebekah Allen . Other important pieces of Big Techs spending include: state and local election spending, dark money and more. But the lobbying group in D.C. knew the truth in Smith's community too. District attorney Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 19952001. Not because the checks are big, but because the way the political process works. Open Secrets following the money in politics, OpenSecrets Following the money in politics, Armed Services Committee members received $5.8 million from defense sector during 2022 election cycle, The railroad industrys hold over Washington goes beyond Norfolk Southern, Online platforms embroiled in Supreme Court cases on content moderation spend millions lobbying on internet legislation, How U.S. arm sales fuel the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. [39] Lauren Kaori Gurley, Amazon Illegally Interrogated Worker Who Led First COVID-19 Strikes, NLRB Says, Vice (March 22, 2021), https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8ngk/amazon-interrogated-worker-who-led-first-covid-19-strikes-nlrb-says. I dont want to use the word extremism, but he pretty much had his mind all made up about the way things were, Cornwell said. Prescription drugs are unaffordable and new drugs and devices often are approved without being proven safe and effective. Asked for comment, his office . No independent media has heard the recording. Microchip industry lobbyists are urging Washington to exclude new projects from the federal environmental reviews attached to huge federal subsidies. Sullivan said exposing the records would supply ammunition for his political opponents. The 64-minute recording of Sullivan's June meeting with Bonnen and another top House Republican, then-GOP caucus chair Dustin Burrows, was posted on Sullivan's website and the website of WBAP, a talk radio station in Dallas on which Sullivan appeared Tuesday morning. 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. Boeing, which now spends nearly 56% less than Facebook, has been a top eight spender since 2010. Dan] Patrick did and Ill take Braddock off the House floor, referring to Scott Braddock, a reporter for the Capitol insider publication Quorum Report. The climate crisis is the challenge of our time. During a June conversation at the Texas Capitol, Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen urged hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan to target members of their own party in the 2020 primaries and suggested he could get Sullivans group media access to the House floor, according to a secret recording of the conversation released Tuesday. 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). In November 2020, Public Citizen joined 32 groups in a letter urging President Biden to reject Big Tech appointments to his cabinet. His work as U.S. Attorney largely focused on national security and health-care fraud. 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. Keffer and Truitt filed the first complaints against Sullivan with the commission. We urgently need both solutions directed at offsetting Big Techs undue political influence and more systemic approaches to the problem of Big Money dominance of our political system. Learn more about where their money was sent. Though Bonnen appeared to be absent while Burrows rattled off names, the speaker himself had seemed to allude to the same group early on in the conversation, explicitly mentioning the number 10. While Apple and Google reduced lobbying spending from the 2018 to 2020 cycle, total spending among the four Big Tech corporations still increased. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. If you need some primaries to fight in I will leave and Dustin will tell you some wed love if you fought in. He had beautiful manners.. [49] H. Tankovska, Annual Global Marketing and Sales Costs of Facebook from 2010 to 2020, Statista (February 5, 2021), https://www.statista.com/statistics/506867/facebook-marketing-spending. "He'll show you the list of who we hope someone will show up" to challenge, Bonnen said. Amid laughs, Bonnen said, "Heres what I wont do. So if you work in the government affairs team in the United States, you spend your weekends going to these events; you spend your evenings going to these dinners, and the reason you go is because the PAC writes a check. According to lawmakers who heard the audio, Bonnen offered to sweeten the pot by revoking the press credentials of the editor of Quorum Report, Scott Braddock, a longtime critic of Empower Texans. More recently, it was reported that New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks, while receiving funds from Facebook (indirectly through the Aspen Institute), was also writing and publishing positive words about Facebook as a guest blogger.[32] Brooks, too, failed to disclose his donors before this was reported by journalists. [5] Amazon has been accused of subjecting workers to unsafe working conditions during COVID-19,[6] while the plurality of its workforce is Black, brown, and/or non-white. Roughly nine minutes into the recording, after discussing Sullivans recent trip to Europe, Bonnen tells Sullivan hes trying to win in 2020 in November., Is there any way that for 2020 we sort of say lets not spend millions of dollars fighting in primaries when we need to spend millions of dollars trying to win in November, Bonnen says. Steve Bresnen, a lobbyist and attorney who is leading the charge against Sullivan, said the integrity of elections may be at stake. OpenSecrets. His early work revolved around the terrorist attacks, which were launched from Boston's Logan Airport. [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. In 2010, while Facebook was spending next to nothing on lobbying and Amazon was spending just over $2 million, Exxon and Philip Morris were shelling out over $10 million each in lobbying contracts. [3] The position had been made subject to the Senate confirmation process and Sullivan was the first nominee to be sent to the Senate. 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. Read More In recent years, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google have all come under increased scrutiny for threatening our privacy, democracy, small businesses, and workers. company profile page along with the rest of the general data. Both Bonnen and Burrows said the point of that June meeting was to persuade Sullivan to stop trying to unseat certain Republicans in the primaries. Democrats and Republicans alike benefitted from these funds, which totaled more than $3 million. There are 4900+ professionals named "Michael Sullivan", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. 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. The next day, Kaplan arranged a meeting for Zuckerberg and himself with Jared Kushner (son-in-law of President Trump) and President Trump himself. Figure 1 tracks spending among a few representative corporations known to be big Washington players in these three industries: Exxon Mobil (Big Oil), Philip Morris (Big Tobacco), Amazon, and Facebook (Big Tech). Previously, she worked in Baton Rouge for The Advocate as an investigative state government reporter. Health care in the U.S. leaves too many people out, costs too much and doesnt meet acceptable standards of quality. Amazon, Apple, and Facebook collectively hired 40 more lobbyists to grow their lobbying corps from 293 in 2018 to 333 in 2020 (Figure 5). When Sullivan mentions state Rep. Keith Bell, R-Forney, Burrows interjects: "Leave him alone he's just a dumb freshman.". Sullivan's residence is in Abington. Most of his lobbying activity came out of his practice in Montgomery, Alabama called The Lobbyist Group.