miller strategies
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free press
Drain the Swamp? MAGA Lobbyists Say They’re ‘Drinking from a Fire Hose.’
(Illustration by The Free Press)
Once upon a time, Donald Trump promised to clean up Washington. But for the swampiest industry of all, business is booming.
05.05.25 —U.S. Politics
U.S. Politics
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Since 2016, Donald Trump has promised his supporters that he will 
”—the president’s catchall pledge to end corruption in Washington. But as his second administration gets busy remaking the federal government, business is good for one of D.C.’s most lucrative—and “swampiest”—lines of work: lobbying. And for those lobbyists enmeshed in MAGA World, business has never been better.
One of the biggest winners is Jeff Miller, a veteran Republican lobbyist who has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in donations for Trump and the GOP. His phone has been ringing off the hook ever since election night, which he spent in the grand ballroom of Mar-a-Lago, a few tables away from the incoming president, along with J.D. Vance and Elon Musk.
“We went all-in to make sure President Trump had the resources to win, and we’ve been drinking from a fire hose ever since,” he told The Free Press.
Miller’s firm, Miller Strategies, posted at least $8.5 million in lobbying revenue in the first quarter of 2025—a 190 percent increase from its $2.9 million haul at the same time last year.
His is just one of the lobbying firms with close ties to Trump that cashed in on their influence between January and March, the period captured in the latest lobbying disclosures. They illustrate how, in Trump’s Washington, the “swamp” is far from drained.
Along with other close allies of Trump, Miller is a founding member of a new, invite-only MAGA moguls club in Georgetown called Executive Branch. The club costs $500,000 to join and already has a waitlist. Its co-founders include Donald Trump Jr.; Alex Witkoff and Zach Witkoff, the sons of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East; and Omeed Malik, a megadonor who was a seed investor in Tucker Carlson’s new media venture.
Miller Strategies, based in Washington, D.C., is lobbying on behalf of powerhouse companies like Zoom, NASDAQ, Apple, Sam Altman’s OpenAI, and Comcast. In March, it signed Cornell University, which, along with other elite colleges, has been roped into Trump’s investigations into alleged racial discrimination and antisemitism on their campuses.
Another new Miller client is Palantir, a data software company that was awarded a $30 million contract from the Trump administration to assist in the government’s deportation efforts.
“Despite all the rhetoric about ‘draining the swamp,’ there remains a thriving industry of lobbying firms who will help those willing to pay for access in Washington, D.C.,” said Michael Beckel, the senior research director for Issue One, a nonpartisan money-in-politics watchdog group.
It’s an echo of the good times that had been enjoyed by Democratic lobbyists with close ties to the Biden White House. For instance, Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of then–White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, saw his lobbying business boom during the Biden years: His lobbying revenues increased fivefold in the first three months of Biden’s presidency. Thus it has always been: When a Republican is in office, firms tied to the GOP thrive; when Democrats are in, the Democratic lobbying firms do well.
Except that Trump has long promised to clean up Washington. On the campaign trail in 2016 he committed to “a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.” But that pledge has long been forgotten. In the 2024 election, lobbyists registered as agents of foreign governments helped raise more than $10 million for Trump, according to research by Issue One.
Miller was listed in that report because of his work for the Japanese government, his firm’s only foreign client. Miller refuses to sign Chinese clients—“even the ones who say things like, ‘Oh, we just moved into Singapore,’ or wherever,” Miller told The Free Press.
Other firms aren’t so picky.
Ballard Partners, the firm of Republican superlobbyist and Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard, has signed more than 130 clients since Trump’s victory last November. It’s a staggering number given that the firm had signed a total of 178 between 2021 and 2024. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi both previously worked at the firm.
With 10 offices around the world, including in Istanbul, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh, Ballard posted at least $14 million in lobbying revenue in the first quarter of 2025. That’s triple its $4.2 million haul during the first quarter of 2024.
One new client of Ballard’s is Pirelli, an Italian tire manufacturer that the firm signed one month before Trump’s inauguration. Pirelli’s largest shareholder, with a 37 percent stake, is a Chinese state-owned company called Sinochem. In 2021, Sinochem merged with ChemChina, a company identified by the U.S. Department of Defense as an arm of the Chinese military. Pirelli has paid Ballard at least $120,000 since that December lobbying registration, filings show.
Among Ballard’s controversial clients, perhaps the most high-profile is TikTok. Trump delivered a major win for Ballard and TikTok on his first day in office, when he signed an executive order that extended a congressionally mandated deadline for a sale of the popular social media platform by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Foreign ties are nothing new for Ballard. Before Bondi was attorney general, she worked as a lobbyist at Ballard for the gas-rich country of Qatar, which has long harbored the leaders of Hamas. Bondi also lobbied for iGas USA—a Florida-based company that received a large investment from a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Until July of last year, Brian Ballard and his partner, John O’Hanlon, lobbied for iGas USA. Ballard Partners declined to comment.
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Another firm flexing its influence early on in Trump’s Washington is Florida-based Continental Strategy. It was founded in 2021 by former Trump adviser Carlos Trujillo and employs both Katie Wiles, the daughter of the White House chief of staff, and Alberto Martinez, who served as a chief of staff in the Senate to now–Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Lobbying disclosures show that Continental netted $3.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to revenue of $127,500 for the same period last year. The firm has added at least 50 clients since Trump’s victory.
It’s hardly a surprise that the firm is in Trump’s good graces. One insider told The Free Press that Trujillo and his colleagues helped raise $15 million for Trump’s inauguration. Trujillo did not dispute the figure.
“We didn’t just show up in Trump World two months ago,” Trujillo told The Free Press—saying that his relationships “make it easy to navigate” Washington.
As business booms for Continental, it is already delivering wins for some clients—with Trump’s blessing. The firm helped broker a deal for a consortium led by BlackRock—that included Continental’s client, the Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Company—to pay $23 billion for ports in Panama and across the world. According to a person familiar with the lobbying push, Trujillo’s firm privately secured support from Trump and previewed the deal to federal officials. The president hailed the deal in his March speech to Congress, calling it a step toward “reclaiming” the Panama Canal, a top priority of his administration.
Continental has established an in-house policy of working only with foreign clients that it sees as aligned with American interests, according to two people familiar with the firm.
Then there’s Mercury Public Affairs, where now–White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles worked as a lobbyist until 2024. Former Trump campaign adviser Bryan Lanza is a partner at the firm, where revenue climbed to $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2025—doubling since the last quarter of 2024. It registered on behalf of around 70 clients in 2024 and 2025, according to lobbying filings.
“The calls started coming in last summer, before Biden dropped out,” said one person familiar with Mercury’s booming operation.
After the election, Lanza registered to lobby for the Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, which was placed on a Pentagon blacklist during Trump’s first term over alleged Chinese military ties. (The designation was later removed under Biden.)
Mercury clients have included Qatar, the Turkish government, a Chinese surveillance firm linked to China’s persecution of the Uyghurs, and a Chinese solar panel manufacturer called JinkoSolar that saw its Florida factory raided in 2023 after reports the company was linked to forced labor in China.
Mercury has hauled in hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2020 to lobby for China’s Alibaba Group and millions of dollars from Gotion—an electric vehicle battery manufacturer and subsidiary of a Chinese company that pledged in 2022 group documents to “carry out” activities for the Chinese Communist Party. Multiple reports in 2020 linked Alibaba Group to China’s surveillance of Uyghur Muslims. An early client for Lanza upon his joining in 2017 was ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications giant for which Mercury said its work “may inure to the benefit of the People’s Republic of China,” Justice Department filings show.
“As long as evil political regimes like the Chinese Communist Party and the companies they control have willing representatives in Washington, the ‘swamp’ is never going to be fully drained,” said Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who specializes in U.S.-China relations.
There are, however, limits to how much foreign baggage lawmakers are willing to tolerate.
:{“The problem with Mercury is that so many of their clients are total shitbags,” said one senior Republican congressional staffer, “so they have trouble getting meetings.”
Drain the Swamp? MAGA Lobbyists Say They’re ‘Drinking from a Fire Hose.’}:
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... “so they have trouble getting meetings.”}:
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January 22, 2025
Mapping the AI lobby
President Donald Trumpand his new administration are going to be on the receiving end of a lot of lobbying on artificial intelligence. Tech companies, trade associations and multi-client lobbying firms will all be very active in practicing the arts of the influence industry.
But there isn’t, really, one single AI lobby. Big and Little Tech are competing against one another, as are purveyors of open- and closed-source models. Still, there are going to be clear power players and places where the industry will be pulling together.
Here’s who’sgoing to be doing the talking on AI:
Companies: The armies of traditional Big Tech lobbyists have already spent the last few years pivoting to AI issues. Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta are all making big plays — and most of their leaders snagged plum seats at the inauguration Monday to show off their power. By sheer numbers, Big Tech is pretty much guaranteed to be at the front of the AI lobbying pack — and lobbying spending — for a while.
There are new playersin town, though. OpenAI has been on a hiring spree. The company’s policy operation is headed by D.C. veteran Chris Lehane.
OpenAI also recently unveiled its first policy priorities, with an emphasis for the Trump administration — export controls that focus on adversaries while leaving things pretty free with allies. The company also highlighted boosting energy production and kids’ protection. CEO Sam Altmanwill be in town next week to walk Washington through the document.
But don’t sleep on a16z,the venture capital firm also known as Andreessen Horowitz. We’ve told you about their Washington staff-up, which especially focuses on their AI and crypto portfolios. The policy team works hard to speak for “Little Tech.” General partner Marc Andreessen has also become a prominent Trump supporter.
Trade groups: With China, trade and even procurement as top issues, the Information Technology Industry Council is poised for an important lobbying role. The group specializes in those topics, though it was sleepier in recent years when issues like competition were hotter.
The Business Software Alliancealso has the benefit of the most undiluted focus on companies selling AI to other businesses in its membership. Key members include Microsoft, Oracle and IBM — all of which are known as veteran D.C. game-players.
Consultants: Top multi-client lobbying firms that are allied with Trump will be players in the AI policy influence space as well. Miller Strategies, for instance, is headed by GOP mega-lobbyist and Trump fundraiser Jeff Miller.Its clients include OpenAI and Oracle.
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Who We Are What We Do Clients News Contact Connected. Strategic. Effective.
- ### Clients Clients "Partnering with Miller Strategies was Kalshi's most impactful decision in 2024. While many firms promise results, Jeff Miller and Jessica Mandel consistently deliver. They've expertly navigated our industry's complex regulatory landscape, addressing every challenge promptly.
- ### News The GOP leader leans on Miller as his go-to source for big-money donations. Miller is a connected Washington lobbyist with his own boutique firm, advising some of the most recognizable corporate brands in the United States — and a hard-charging Republican fundraiser and all-around GOP utility player.
- ### Contact Get in touch 801 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW SUITE 350 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004 202-849-2576 INFO@MILLERSTRATEGIES.COM
POLITICO
Jason Miller racks up clients - POLITICO
Aug 18, 2025Jason Miller has registered to lobby for four new domestic clients this month, including the artificial intelligence startup Scale AI.
Punchbowl News
https://punchbowl.news › article › tech › artificial-intelligence-lobby-laid-out
Mapping the AI lobby - punchbowl.news
Jan 22, 2025Consultants: Top multi-client lobbying firms that are allied with Trump will be players in the AI policy influence space as well. Miller Strategies, for instance, is headed by GOP mega-lobbyist and Trump fundraiser Jeff Miller.
OpenSecrets
https://www.opensecrets.org › federal-lobbying › firms › summary?cycle=2024&id=D000073422
Miller Strategies Lobbying Profile • OpenSecrets
Lobbying profile for Miller Strategies, a lobbying firm that was hired by 79 clients in 2024, for a total amount of $12,700,000.
millerstrategies.com
https://millerstrategies.com › who-we-are
Who We Are - Miller Strategies
Here's our list of the experts and advocates, outside the government, who are playing big roles in Washington's policy debates.
millerstrategies.com
https://millerstrategies.com › news
News - Miller Strategies
Mar 29, 2025The GOP leader leans on Miller as his go-to source for big-money donations. Miller is a connected Washington lobbyist with his own boutique firm, advising some of the most recognizable corporate brands in the United States — and a hard-charging Republican fundraiser and all-around GOP utility player.
OpenSecrets
https://www.opensecrets.org › federal-lobbying › firms › reports?cycle=2025&id=D000073422
Miller Strategies Lobbying Reports • OpenSecrets
Miller Strategies has spent lobbying in 2025, so far. See the reports it filed.
millerstrategies.com
https://millerstrategies.com › what-we-do
What We Do - Miller Strategies
Miller Strategies, LLC is a full-service government relations firm dedicated to effective strategy and federal advocacy. We are uniquely positioned to help clients navigate the complexities of the Administration and Congress. Whether in a statehouse, the White House, or the two chambers of Congress, few have the know-how and relationships to meaningfully shape public policy like Miller ...
legis1.com
https://legis1.com › news › fico-miller-strategies-credit-scoring
FICO Hires Miller Strategies to Lobby on Credit Scoring Issues
Sep 23, 2025FICO hires Miller Strategies to lobby on credit scoring issues, expanding their influence in legislative discussions about credit reporting rules.
The Free Press
https://www.thefp.com › p › drain-the-swamp-maga-lobbyists-say
Drain the Swamp? MAGA Lobbyists Say Business Is Booming.
May 5, 2025Miller Strategies, based in Washington, D.C., is lobbying on behalf of powerhouse companies like Zoom, NASDAQ, Apple, Sam Altman's OpenAI, and Comcast. In March, it signed Cornell University, which, along with other elite colleges, has been roped into Trump's investigations into alleged
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