Qorvis
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/12/controversial-operation-tricked-veterans-into-lobbying-for-saudi-arabia"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/12/controversial-operation-tricked-veterans-into-lobbying-for-saudi-arabia</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A firm that was part of a controversial foreign influence operation that allegedly ensnared veterans into lobbying on behalf of Saudi Arabia unwittingly in 2017 has again reared its head, filing what appears to be <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5513655-6412-Supplemental-Statement-20181030-1.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">its first supplemental statement on record</a> with the U.S. Department of Justice.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Capitol Media Group first came under fire after veterans who were brought to Washington, DC, to lobby for changes to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) — legislation that enabled 9/11 lawsuits against the government of Saudi Arabia — claimed they did not know their trip had been organized and financed by the Government of Saudi Arabia.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Unlike some other firms implicated in the scandal that have continued to make headlines, Capitol Media Group operated under the radar with little media exposure and even less disclosure to federal regulators charged with oversight of foreign influence operations.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In fact, <b>Capitol Media Group did not even register as a foreign agent of Saudi Arabia until March 31, 2017 — months later than required under the Foreign Agents Registration (FARA</b>), the law which governs most disclosure requirements for foreign lobbying, trade promotion and other influence operations. That registration came just two days after 9/11 families and survivors filed a <a href="https://28pagesdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/fara-complaint-20170329.pdf" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">complaint</a> with DOJ alleging “potential widespread criminal violations” by Saudi lobbyists and foreign agents who took part in allegedly exploiting U.S. military veterans to push for an <a href="https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2016/11/30/senate-section/article/S6611-2" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">amendment</a> of JASTA that would restrict Americans from suing foreign governments for terrorist attacks unless they “knowingly engage with a terrorist organization directly or indirectly, including financing.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The impetus for that registration, according to Scott Wheeler — Capitol Media Group’s owner and the executive director of the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00455378&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">National Republican Trust PAC</a> — was because “we found that the company we had contracted with had received Saudi money.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In its initial registration statement, Capitol Media Group reported being paid $365,000 from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia to organize veterans’ trips at a base fee of $30,000 each plus expenses to lobby against JASTA.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Capitol Media Group filed its first <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5513655-6412-Supplemental-Statement-20181030-1.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">supplemental statement</a> with DOJ on October 30, 2018, months after supplemental statements coordinating to the dates of that campaign would have been required to be filed under FARA but amidst a renewed scrutiny on Saudi lobbyists and foreign agents in light of the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, that supplemental statement appears only to cover the six-month period ending September 30, 2018, more than a year after their activities lobbying for the amendment to JASTA took place.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Registrants are required to file the supplements every six months during the duration of the relationship with the foreign principal under FARA, even if they did not engage in activity on behalf of the foreign principal during the reporting period, Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center confirmed.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Joshua Rosenstein, an attorney with Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, called it “positively bizarre.”</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rosenstein said he is less concerned with why the supplemental statement was filed more than a year after the activities took place than other “substantive problems such as inconsistencies between the supplemental statement and initial filings as well as areas where “all of the boxes that are left blank.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And that’s only the start of issues presented by the filing.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Multiple names listed as individuals who received “payment for transportation, lodging and incidental meals” are veterans who were purportedly part of the trips to Washington, D.C.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The payments are reported to the veterans themselves rather than specifying which hotels or other businesses benefited from the money in Capitol Media Group’s FARA records, but records filed by Qorvis/MSLGroup — a firm that spearheaded and helped organize the trips — fill in some additional details.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A new Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/saudi-funded-lobbyist-paid-for-500-rooms-at-trumps-hotel-after-2016-election/2018/12/05/29603a64-f417-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">report</a> based on planning documents, agendas and conversations with organizers estimated the <b>Saudi government paid for more than 500 nights in Trump hotel rooms.</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Lobbyists switched accommodations for the veterans from Northern Virginia to the Trump International Hotel in December 2016, spending more than $270,000 at the hotel Trump still owns, as first <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2017/06/04/saudis-spent-270k-at-trump-hotel-in-lobbying-campaign-against-911-bill" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">reported</a> by the Daily Caller and confirmed in a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5015742-5483-Supplemental-Statement-20170531-25.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">FARA disclosure</a> made available through the Foreign Lobby Watch tool.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Outside of JASTA lobbying, Trump’s businesses across the country have become lucrative hot-spots for foreign movers and shakers as well as <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/trump/trump-properties" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">U.S. political committees</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As CRP noted in an earlier <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/10/saudi-foreign-agents-donations-top-1point6-mill/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">report</a>, Trump International Hotel in Manhattan’s room revenue rose <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-president-trumps-hotel-in-new-york-revenue-went-up-this-spring--thanks-to-a-visit-from-big-spending-saudis/2018/08/03/58755392-9112-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">13 percent</a> in the first three months of 2018 after a two-year decline due to a “last minute visit” by the Saudi Crown Prince. A 2018 report to Trump Hotel Chicago investors on foreign and U.S. customers broken down by country originally <a href="https://twitter.com/annalecta/status/1050825346185093120" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">obtained</a> by the Washington Post showed a <b>169 percent increase in Saudi Arabia-based patrons since 2016.</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Trump Organization claimed it would donate foreign government profits to U.S. Treasury Department under an ethics agreement but <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/06/the-presidents-company-wont-say-how-much-money-it-made-in-foreign-profits-last-year-have-you-got-a-guess/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">donated</a> just $151,470 to the U.S. Treasury without explanation of how that amount was calculated and has continued to keep details of the agreement hidden from the public.</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Escalating spending by foreign governments at Trump businesses has added fuel to the fire of probes planned by congressional Democrats as well as lawsuits alleging Trump violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting improper payments from foreign governments. A lawsuit by the <a href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-statement-on-emoluments-decision/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington</a> is ongoing while attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2-attorneys-general-to-subpoena-trump-organization-irs/2018/12/04/d20a5106-f7fd-11e8-8642-c9718a256cbd_story.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">announced</a> plans to file subpoenas for financial records and other documents related to Trump’s businesses last week.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Despite <a href="https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/oct/18/donald-trump/donald-trumps-claim-no-financial-interests-saudi-a/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">tweeting</a> that he has “no financial interests in Saudi Arabia,” Trump told the crowd at a campaign rally as recently as 2015, “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The rest of Capitol Media Group’s sole supplemental statement record is mostly blank without any mention of a foreign principal despite the firm registering to work for Saudi Arabia’s government, and reporting payments received as a part of that arrangement in registration documents, and never terminating that agreement.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fischer noted that a supplemental statement is supposed to be “complete in and of itself,” and therefore “cannot incorporate by reference” under the text of the pertinent federal regulations. If Capitol Media Group did terminate the agreement, it would have been required to file a termination statement memorializing the change with DOJ within 30 days.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The only <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/fara/results?query=&location=®istrant=Capitol+Media+Group&foreign-principal=&start-date=&end-date=" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">other FARA records</a> Capitol Media Group submitted to DOJ are the registration records filed in 2017, reporting payments for work on behalf of the Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia. They state that the Saudi government official that representatives of Capitol Media Group dealt with was<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Ambassador Abdullah ibn Faisal and describes Capitol Media Group’s activities as “direct contacts with Members of Congress and their staffs to discuss the potential effect of the legislation upon — and their concern about — the safety of US service members serving abroad in host countries, currently and in future.”</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Scott Wheeler told a different story.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There’s a lot of misinformation in regards to us,” Wheeler said in a phone interview when asked about inconsistencies between the description of Capitol Media Group’s activities in their FARA registration records and his own account. Wheeler said he has been “treated unfairly” by the press, attributing much of the buzz around his activities to earlier reporting by “clowns claiming to be journalists.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When informed the information was directly read from a filing on record with DOJ filed by a lawyer on his behalf, Wheeler responded, “I don’t know what any of that means. I took veterans with me, but we were just explaining the military ramifications of this over time.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We’re not lobbyists, and we’re not lobbyists for foreign governments. We did a military analysis on that law. We had no contact with the Saudi government,” Wheeler assured in the phone interview. “The only time I met anyone from a Saudi ministry was around 15 years ago as a journalist.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Instead, Wheeler claims Capitol Media Group was merely a subcontractor for Qorvis/MSLGroup</b>, which has long represented the Saudi government in the United States.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Notably absent from any of Capitol Media Group’s filings is any mention of Qorvis/MSLGroup or a sub-contractor relationship. Instead, Capitol Media Group reports a direct relationship with the Saudi government.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Qorvis/MSLGroup did report <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/fara/results?query=Capitol+Media+Group&location=®istrant=Qorvis+MSLGROUP&foreign-principal=&start-date=2017-01-01&end-date=" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">disbursements</a> to Capitol Media Group of $375,991 for the six-month period through March 2017, $114,100 for the six-month period through March 2018 and $29,400 for the six-month period through September 2018 for a total of $519,491 — none of which was alluded to in the FARA disclosures filed by Capitol Media Group.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a 2017 <a href="https://www.justice.gov/file/1061801/download" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">advisory opinion</a>, DOJ concluded that a company did not have an obligation to register under FARA “because its contracts are with the two separate U.S. firms–not a foreign principal. The contracts limit the role of the U.S. company to providing meeting coordination, relationship facilitation, and cross-cultural communications clarification for the two U.S. firms. The U.S. company is not “at the order, request, or under the direction or control of a foreign principal” per 22 U.S.C. § 61l(c).” However, that advisory opinion was limited to the facts and circumstances of that case.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But even if Wheeler was a subcontractor and performing political activities in that capacity for <b>Qorvis/MSLGroup, </b>as he claims, the activities reported in the initial filing that fall under the purview of FARA would still require him to register and file all of the necessary paperwork, Rosenstein said, noting “The extent to which they were working as a subcontractor needed to be disclosed.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When asked multiple times for clarification from his lawyer, Wheeler said “he would refer you back to me,” “he’s indisposed,” he’s “extremely busy,” that it would be “impossible,” and ultimately asked to call him back in a week. Attempts to contact Wheeler in the weeks since that time have not been successful.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DOJ records obtained by CRP indicate Wheeler’s Carey committee, a hybrid between a PAC and a super PAC, may have also played a role in the Saudi foreign influence operation.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5448481-3712-Informational-Materials-20170330-3.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Informational materials</a> used by Qorvis on behalf of Saudi Arabia include an open letter to members of Congress on the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00455378&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">National Republican Trust PAC</a>’s official letterhead urging them to “repeal JASTA immediately.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The letter — using the National Republican PAC’s letterhead</b> and included the Qorvis’ disclaimer — was also included in <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5485226-5483-Informational-Materials-20161207-3.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">informational materials</a> filed by DLA Piper, a firm that <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/fara/results?foreign-principal=&location=&order=asc&page=1&query=Saudi+Arabia®istrant=DLA+Piper&sort=stamped&start-date=2017-01-01" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">represented</a> Saudi Arabia in 2017 but has not reported any payments corresponding to that period.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A significant portion of the money raised by Wheeler’s <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00455378&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">National Republican Trust PAC</a> is paid out to his firm, Capitol Media Group — enough to fall on CRP’s <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/anomalies.php?type=O&id=Capitol+Media+Group&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">anomaly tracker</a> for three election cycles in a row.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Was Wheeler kept in the dark about the Saudi interests behind his influence campaign or was he part of the alleged plot to exploit unwitting military veterans for the interests of a foreign government? Without more transparency around the whole situation, it’s hard to tell.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Wheeler put it during a phone interview, “some of that stuff caused a swirl.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A spokesperson from the division of DOJ overseeing FARA issues declined to comment. Multiple attempts to contact the press office of the Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qorvis/MSLGroup were not returned.</font></p><div class="related-box" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; width: 760px; padding: 8px 0px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span class="txt" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; float: left; line-height: 28px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -0.03em; margin-right: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RELATED TOPICS</font></span><ul class="related-list" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px -5px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/9-11/" rel="tag" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background: rgb(236, 238, 242); text-decoration-line: none; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; 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</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/we-were-just-used-give-trump-money-veterans-say-saudi-regime-duped-them-funnel">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/we-were-just-used-give-trump-money-veterans-say-saudi-regime-duped-them-funnel</a></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a detailed new report Wednesday, journalists David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O'Connell at the Washington Post showed how the Saudi regime used a veterans group to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into President Donald Trump's business — an incident that has become emblematic of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/saudi-funded-lobbyist-paid-for-500-rooms-at-trumps-hotel-after-2016-election/2018/12/05/29603a64-f417-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.a19e90e90615" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Emoluments Clause</a> case against the president.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Constitution's Emoluments Clause bars the president and other officials from receving payments from foreign governments while in office. <a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trump-organization-will-face-expansive-subpoenas-emoluments-lawsuit-ramps-against#overlay-context=" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Attorneys general</a> from Washington D.C. and Maryland are currently bringing a case against the president because his continued control of his business empire has allowed him to receive such payments.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And the Saudis, it seems, have been big customers. The Post reported that lobbyists for Saudi Arabia spent $270,000 at Trump International Hotel in D.C. shortly after Trump's election in 2016. It also found that the regime is finding other avenues to pay Trump money:</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since February 2017, Saudi customers have boosted the bottom line at two other Trump hotels. In Chicago, the Trump hotel’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/i-like-them-very-much-trump-has-long-standing-business-ties-with-saudis-who-have-boosted-his-hotels-since-he-took-office/2018/10/11/0870df24-cd67-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f_story.html" title="www.washingtonpost.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;">internal statistics </a>showed a sharp uptick in customers from Saudi Arabia after Trump took office. In <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/election-results/new-york/?tid=a_inl_auto" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">New York</a> this year, the general manager of Trump’s hotel at Central Park said a single stay by some Saudi customers — who were traveling with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman —<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-president-trumps-hotel-in-new-york-revenue-went-up-this-spring--thanks-to-a-visit-from-big-spending-saudis/2018/08/03/58755392-9112-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html?utm_term=.2da3812614c4" title="www.washingtonpost.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"> was so lucrative, it helped the hotel turn a profit for the quarter.</a></font></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><interaction data-token="5b96855f8198b4e625350260" data-context="true" data-tags="" data-fallback="true" /></font></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the D.C. case is particularly galling because of the way it used veterans.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Fahrenthold and O'Connell report that the lobbying firm <b>Qorvis/MSLGroup, working for the Saudis, paid for groups of veterans to have lavish stays at Trump's hotel while lobbying lawmakers against legislation the reigme opposed. But many of the veterans said they didn't realize the Saudi regime was paying for the trip or that they only found out later, leaving them feeling "duped.</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>"</b></span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Gibson, who helped organize the trips, insisted that the veterans were informed of the funding source and that the aim was not to win favorable treatment from the president by paying his businesses.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, Henry Garcia, a Navy Veteran who took the trip, told the Post that once he found out the regime was behind the event, he said to himself, "Oh, we were just used to give Trump money.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Perhaps most damning of all about the report is that the veterans weren't even provided with sufficient training to be good lobbyists. If the operation wasn't aiming to actually influence law, it seems more likely that it was used to directly influence the president.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All of this is espcially damning because of Trump's behavior toward Saudi Arabia. He has consistently touted the regime as a central ally, even though this claim is dubious, and the administration has supported the ongoing war and human rights catastrophe in <a href="https://www.alternet.org/world/saudi-arabia-destroying-yemen-human-right-s" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Yemen</a>. Most recently, the administration has been helping to cover up the evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's involvement in the assassination of Washington Post journalist <a href="https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/lindsey-graham-openly-admits-he-will-let-trump-officials-get-away-blatant" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Jamal Khashoggi</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After receiving criticism for his shady ties to the country, the <a href="https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1070456436713578496" style="text-decoration-line: none;">president</a> said on Nov. 20, "I have no business whatsoever with Saudi Arabia."</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even the mere appearance of foreign corruption, putting aside the frightful amount of <em>evidence</em> of corruption, should be reason enough for the president to be blocked from receiving these funds. It's intolerable to think the country's foreign policy might be driven by Trump's private greed.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">DN BB</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">I should note, what’s really important about all of this is that the </span><b style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Team Themis</b><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> thing was actually stumbled upon by several different people at once. This was a great example, one of several great examples, of crowdsourced journalism. Later on, we went on to document, you know, further abuses both by HBGary and by Palantir,</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">showed that Palantir was lying when they claimed they—you know, this was a low-level person only that was involved in this, and they didn’t—you know, they didn’t approve of it, when in fact their chief counsel and a number of other employees were in on those emails.</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> There were other projects, as well, that are also, I think, very indicative not just in what it says about how the state operates with these interests, but also what they can do now. <b>Persona Management </b>was one particularly frightening technology, that involves </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">fake online personas, that the military—CENTCOM, in this case—can operate. These are provided by private companies, which can turn around and sell them to whoever else, including foreign despots, immoral corporate actors across the world. </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">We’ve seen this over and over again with additional hacks that have shown, you know, how </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Tunisia, for instance, was being assisted by the French government in repressing its citizens. We see a company called<b> Qorvis in D.C. that assists Bahrain in smearing dissidents.</b></span></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">fake news
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">fang machine:</font></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-13133d44-d19a-6e75-49c4-0b4c9ab6f3ff"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PR Qorvis staff henretty posed as news reporter and interviewed college rep on student debt (fun to track down to check on hoist]</font></span></span></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/">https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/</a></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: " chronicle="Chronicle" ssm="SSm" a="A" b="B" palatino="Palatino" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ooks like we won’t be getting a City Council report from Barrett Brown anytime soon. This morning he was arrested. After being called in to his halfway house for a drug test, the good folks from the Bureau of Prisons showed up and arrested him. What for? Are you ready for this? They arrested him for giving interviews. Barrett’s mom, with whom he’d been living under home confinement, sends the following note:</font></p><blockquote style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 1em; border-left: 4px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); font-family: " chronicle="Chronicle" ssm="SSm" a="A" b="B" palatino="Palatino" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><p style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Barrett was re-arrested during routine check-in this morning and is being transferred to a BOP facility that is unknown. He has not missed a check-in over the last five months of his early release. He has not failed any of the random drug tests administered. He has been on home confinement status since February and has been home each and every time they called the landline at 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. for “bed check.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He believes this is only because of his refusal to get “permission” from crews to film and interview him. He has had many interviews since his early release, on November 29, both by phone and in person. Last week VICE had a group in to film him for two days [<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">ed: they filmed a bunch up here at </em>D Magazin<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">e headquarters</em>], and he was scheduled to be interviewed tomorrow by a group working on a documentary for PBS.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ms. Luz Lujan, his BOP contact, refused to provide him with copies of program statement rules saying this is a requirement during halfway house and/or home confinement status. The forms that they finally came up with yesterday, after he had been requesting documentation for the past two weeks, are forms offered to media when requesting a visit with an inmate in a federal prison setting.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There was never any mention of these rules during the past four months of his federally approved employment at <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">D Magazine</em> when he was working with media and involved with a range of interviews.</font></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: " chronicle="Chronicle" ssm="SSm" a="A" b="B" palatino="Palatino" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His mom still has no idea where Barrett was taken. Her guess is that they’ll hold him till May 25, when his original sentence was set to end.</font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team/michael-petruzzello CoC</font></div><div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px;" gotham="Gotham" ssm="SSm" r="r" a="A" b="B" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Founded Qorvis Communications in 2000, which was acquired by MSLGROUP in 2013</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Previously CEO of Shandwick North America</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Began his career as a political director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce</font></li></ul></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="33" data-ved="0ahUKEwj5yqG6huvTAhUG32MKHUnTCo8QFQghKAAwAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Barrett Brown Arrested for the Most Ridiculous Reason Ever - D ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv _SWb" style="height: 18px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">https://www.dmagazine.com/.../barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason...</cite></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B-QxUmfqnZEJ:https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ol></div></div></div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B-QxUmfqnZEJ:https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Apr 27, 2017 - </span>Looks like we won't be getting a City Council report from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Barrett Brown</span> anytime soon. This morning he was arrested. After being called in to his ...</font></span></a><div class="Tib"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B-QxUmfqnZEJ:https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/04/barrett-brown-arrested-for-the-most-ridiculous-reason-ever/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Missing: <s>bahrain</s> <s>qorvis</s> <s>persona</s> <s>dissident</s></font></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="40" data-ved="0ahUKEwj5yqG6huvTAhUG32MKHUnTCo8QFQgoKAEwAQ"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Team | Qorvis MSLGROUP</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; 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padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z-It3nFdx_kJ:www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ol></div></div></div><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z-It3nFdx_kJ:www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Regardless of title or experience, our culture is one of collaboration. When faced with a challenge, we bring together the best possible team to achieve the ...</font></span></a><div class="Tib"><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z-It3nFdx_kJ:www.qorvis.com/who-we-are/team+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Missing: <s>barrett</s> <s>brown</s> <s>bahrain</s> <s>persona</s> <s>dissident</s></font></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="46" data-ved="0ahUKEwj5yqG6huvTAhUG32MKHUnTCo8QFQguKAIwAg"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The legacy of imprisoned investigative journalist Barrett Brown | The ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 18px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/</cite></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="Fmb ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=barett+brown+bahrain+corbis+DC+persona+dissdent&oq=barett+brown+bahrain+corbis+DC+persona+dissdent&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.1558j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b2" aria-label="Result details" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="0ahUKEwj5yqG6huvTAhUG32MKHUnTCo8Q7B0IMDAC" style="border-radius: 0px; 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position: absolute; right: auto; top: 12px; z-index: 3; transition: opacity 0.218s; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 2px 4px; left: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ol></div></div></div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Sep 20, 2013 - </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Barrett Brown</span> is “being persecuted for critical reporting on the ... The capability of<span style="font-weight: bold;">persona</span> management entails “the use of software ... <span style="font-weight: bold;">Qorvis</span> has had certain interactions with the Kingdom of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bahrain</span> that begat a few scandals.</font></span></a></div></div></div></div></div><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"></font></a><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Palantir’s self-titled flagship product is able to sift through extremely large amounts of data while providing </font></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/us/revelations-give-look-at-spy-agencys-wider-reach.html" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">advanced search and discovery capabilities</a>: think things like telephone calls, bank transaction records, emails, text messages, etc. Of course, it’s wildly profitable and boast many customers, chief among them our nation’s counterterrorism and cyber analysts. Palantir claims to have built-in privacy controls, but that isn’t necessarily very reassuring since abuses and violations do happen.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10) Berico Technologies and HBGary</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://wiki.project-pm.org/wiki/Berico" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Berico Technologies</a>, another firm implicated in Team Themis, develops fancy tools and infrastructure that are used in data visualization and analysis to assist signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions. After the Themis scandal broke, the company issued a statement that it does “<a href="http://www.salon.com/2011/02/11/threats_against_glenn_greenwald_wikileaks/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">not condone or support any effort that proactively targets American firms, organizations or individuals</a>” and broke off ties with HBGary. For its part, <a href="http://wiki.project-pm.org/wiki/HBGary" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">HBGary</a> does a lot of malware detection and also claims to have offensive cyber capabilities (more zero-day exploits).</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">HBGary Federal, however, is mostly perceived as a joke today—in no small part due to the foolish efforts of one executive, Aaron Barr, to <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/87dc140e-3099-11e0-9de3-00144feabdc0.html" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">identify the leadership structure of Anonymous</a>. This attempt backfired in spectacular fashion, with the company’s servers being hacked and email spools leaked. Barr had no choice but to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/02/28/hbgary-federals-aaron-barr-resigns-after-anonymous-hack-scandal/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">resign</a>, and several firms attempted to distance themselves from him and HBGary after they were compromised.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">11) Strategic Forecasting, Inc.</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://wiki.project-pm.org/wiki/Stratfor" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Strategic Forecasting, Inc.</a> was hacked by <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/tags/antisec/" class=" dd-link-internal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">AntiSec</a> in association with Anonymous at the end of 2011 and had thousands of emails stolen. The emails are now continually being published by WikiLeaks as the <a href="http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Global Intelligence Files</a>. Stratfor’s wide-ranging spying activities were later exposed, “<a href="http://freejeremy.net/press-release/internet-activist-jeremy-hammond-pleads-guilty-to-stratfor-leak-faces-harsh-sentence-for-online-protest/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">including surveillance of Bhopal activists at the behest of Dow Chemical, of PETA on behalf of Coca-Cola, and of Occupy Wall Street under contract to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security</a>.” Those facts are less surprising and perplexing than the fact that notorious hacker <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/tags/sabu/" class=" dd-link-internal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Sabu</a> was <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/03/06/exclusive-inside-lulzsec-mastermind-turns-on-his-minions/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">working for the FBI</a> when Stratfor was hacked, and indeed provided the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/inside-the-hacking-of-stratfor-the-fbis-case-against-antisec-member-anarchaos/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">servers used to dump the data</a> by <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/tags/jeremy-hammond/" class=" dd-link-internal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Jeremy Hammond</a>; add to that the fact that Sabu tried to sell the data to Julian Assange as part of a failed sting in which the FBI thought an American company was apparently expendable in its effort to nab the founder of WikiLeaks. Don’t even mention that Brown was indicted for identity theft and fraud for <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/barrett-brown-link-sharing-illegal/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">pasting a link</a> in a chat room to an archive that contained unencrypted credit card numbers which, by Stratfor CEO George Friedman’s <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/hack-stratfor" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">own account</a>, had already been canceled—the FBI, banks and cardholders having been notified weeks beforehand.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">12) Leonie Industries</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Then there’s <a href="http://wiki.project-pm.org/wiki/Leonie_Industries" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Leonie Industries</a>, a federal contracting firm specializing in information operations which it offers to the Department of Defense. In 2012, it was <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-05-24/Leonie-usa-today-propaganda-pentagon/55190450/1" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">caught in an online smear campaign</a> against a journalist and an editor from <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">USA Today,</em> who were reporting about tax violations and waste at that same company, Leonie Industries. The <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-02-29/afghanistan-iraq-military-information-operations-usa-today-investigation/53295472/1" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">article basically made the case</a> that the contract between Leonie and the DoD was expensive and ineffective; the Pentagon then <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-06-11/Leonie-propaganda-Pentagon-contractor-taxes/55531102/1" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">launched an investigation</a> into back taxes owed. A <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/20/cyber-misinformation-campaign-against-usa-today" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">calculated disinformation campaign</a> in response to protected press activity is an ominous signal and reminder that journalists and activists are frequently targeted by these contractors. The person responsible <a href="http://rt.com/usa/smear-campaign-journalists-leonie-244/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">apologized and divested themselves</a> of ownership in the company. That shadowy, unseen forces have the ability to launch allegations to discredit perceived enemies at the behest of their clients is no less than absolutely terrifying.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">13) Gamma International</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some who are well-versed in this area might recall <a href="http://wiki.project-pm.org/wiki/Gamma_International" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Gamma International</a>, the proprietor of the <a href="http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00002601.html" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">FinSpy/FinFisher</a> spyware that is able to remotely take control of a computer, log keystrokes, copy stored information, and intercept communications. The <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</em> reported that this software <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/technology/finspy-software-is-tracking-political-dissidents.html" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">had been deployed against activists</a> in Bahrain and Egypt. The FinFisher case illustrates the problem very well: here U.K./U.S. firms are actively engaged in selling capabilities to oppressive dictatorships with poor human rights records; tools which can be used to surveil, detain, arrest, torture, or do worse to fellow humans.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">14) Raytheon</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last but far from least, Raytheon was shown earlier this year to have secretly developed a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/10/software-tracks-social-media-defence" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">program called Riot that is</a>, according to the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Guardian</em>, “capable of tracking people’s movements and predicting future behaviour by mining data from social networking websites.” Here we have a military defense contractor—the fifth largest in the world—working on a product that combines social networking, big data, and analytics in ways that could be extremely invasive to the privacy of average, law-abiding citizens. Like TrapWire, Riot boasts predictive powers that might be dangerously misused or just plain wrong. It recalls the concept of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Minority_Report#Precrime" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">pre-crime</a> from the short story/film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Report(film)" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">The Minority Report</em></a>. Clients of Raytheon are buying into the promise of predictive analytics: techniques from statistics, modeling, machine learning and data mining are being applied to complex human behavior.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Forecasting unknown events based on current facts, especially when it involves the motives and emotions of individuals, comes with a huge margin of error. That innocent people may one day arrested and convicted based on these predictions suggests a future that is truly Orwellian—straight out of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">1984</em></a>.</font></p><p align="center" style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><big style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">…</font></strong></big></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We are now witnessing the militarization of the Internet. These businesses are all part of a<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/01/cyber-intelligence-complex-useful-idiots" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"> continuous intelligence and law enforcement community</a> with an incestuous, revolving-door relationship between the government and private industry. Those involved allegedly get rich off of contracts that are paid to spy on people, conduct shady cyber-warfare, and disrupt activist movements. There tends to be no moral consideration at stake as part of this market exchange. The ability to investigate and target people is for sale to those who will pay for it.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What Brown’s work teaches us is that technological capabilities such as these—which improve at a rate far greater than populations are able to keep up with or learn about —are inevitably subject to abuse.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stories about privacy violations like these have a shelf life, and the U.S. media is ill-equipped to cover them. They’re hot for awhile, such as when hackers first leak information; then their appeal fades. The issues at stake are sometimes too complex for the average person with an average attention span to attempt to understand. Brown <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/11/cybersecurity-intelligence-community-nefarious-purposes" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">frequently complained</a> about this.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We do, however, now have the ability to change it—all we need to do is accept that Snowden has opened the door, and to walk through it. There are no doubt numerous revelations of journalistic import in those thousands of emails, just waiting to be found. We need to watch these matters a lot more closely if we hope to preserve basic fundamentals of democracy, privacy, and liberty in the years to come.</font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Kevin Gallagher is a writer, systems administrator and activist based in western Massachusetts. He’s also the director of</em> <a href="http://freebarrettbrown.org/" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Free Barrett Brown</em></a><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">. Follow him @</em><a href="https://twitter.com/ageis" class=" dd-link-external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">ageis</em></a><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">.</em></font></p><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"></font></a></div><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000" /></a><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Specializes in corporate and crisis communications to help companies and trade associations build and maintain strong reputations, enhance shareholder value and protect their public policy interests. Skilled spokesperson, media consultant, and strategist with a solid track record of successfully working with corporate, legislative and political campaigns.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></a></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Has extensive experience at both the state and national level, including a broad range of industry issues as well as political campaigns.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Specialties:Public Affairs</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media & Public Relations</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Training</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Political Consulting</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Experience</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Consultant</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Public Affairs Consulting</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">August 2013 – Present (2 years)Nevada</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Vice President Public Affairs</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">American Beverage Association</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 2012 – August 2013 (1 year 8 months)Washington D.C. Metro Area</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Managing Director</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Qorvis Communications</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">December 2008 – December 2011 (3 years 1 month)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Manage client projects with multi-million dollar budgets to help companies build and maintain strong reputations, manage difficult crisis issues, enhance shareholder value, and protect their public policy interests</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">• Direct survey research, messaging and creative concepts for television, radio, print and digital advertising</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">• Oversee media buys to ensure ads are strategically placed to influence targeted demographics</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">• Develop branding and communications strategies across all mediums: digital, TV, radio, print</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">(Open)1 recommendation</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cassie Elliot</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">VP, Managing Director/ Advertising & Creative at Qorvis MSLGROUP</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Karen and I worked together on the <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Massey Energy and Alpha Natural Resources coal accounts.</span> On both, Karen gave consistently strong, strategic guidance on how best to raise positive brand and image awareness advertising for both. She also showed...View</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Communications Director</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">National Republican Congressional Committee</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">June 2008 – November 2008 (6 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Deputy Dir of Communications</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fred Thompson for President Campaign</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">August 2007 – April 2008 (9 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hanretty Communications</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 2006 – August 2007 (1 year 8 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Communications Director</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">California Republican Party</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">December 2003 – January 2006 (2 years 2 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press Secretary/Spokeswoman</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor/Recall Campaign</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">August 2003 – October 2003 (3 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press Secretary</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">California Republica Party</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 2002 – August 2003 (1 year 8 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press Secretary</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">California State Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">February 2001 – December 2001 (11 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Communications Analyst</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">California State Senate Republican Caucus</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">November 2000 – February 2001 (4 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Deputy Campaign Manager</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bob Margett for State Senate</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">August 2000 – November 2000 (4 months)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press Secretary</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">California State Legislature, Office of State Senator Bruce McPherson</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 2000 – August 2000 (8 months)</font></div></div><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000">
</font></a></div><div><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000"></font></a></div><div><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">WASHINGTON: The Embassy of Libya in the US has awarded Qorvis MSLGroup a contract worth more than $1 million to provide PR services.</font></a></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The contract runs from March 20, 2015 through March 19, 2016. The agency will bill the embassy $50,000 for each of the first three months and then $100,000 for each of the remaining nine months.</font></a></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O52Y_80nrjgJ:https://www.dailydot.com/via/barrett-brown-private-intelligence-industry/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The scope of Qorvis MSL’s work for Libya will include political advice and counsel, such as arranging regular briefings on Capitol Hill for Libyan officials and communicating with the White House; comms strategy and support, including media relations, message development, and op-eds; and government relations and lobbying. The goal is to "help ensure Libya’s messages reach the White House, the media, think tanks and the Hill," </font></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fara.gov/docs/5483-Exhibit-AB-20150403-42.pdf" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; background: transparent;">according to the contract</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The agency will report to Wafa Bugaighis, charge d'affaires at the embassy. A Qorvis representative was not immediately available for comment. </font></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last year, the US government suspended all embassy operations in Libya and evacuated staff amid clashes between rival Libyan militias. The country continues to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/world/middleeast/one-of-libyas-rival-governments-moves-to-control-oil-revenue.html?ref=topics" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; background: transparent;">grapple with instability and violence from warring coalitions</a>, and it is also dealing with the expansion of ISIS. </font></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In December 2013, Qorvis <a href="http://www.fara.gov/docs/5483-Exhibit-AB-20140224-40.pdf" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; background: transparent;">signed a contract</a> with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the United States for media relations. The work, which ran through February 13 of this year, included communications services such as public diplomacy, monitoring, and training.</font></p><p style="margin: 10px 80px 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.55; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last year, Publicis Groupe <a href="http://www.prweek.com/article/1280729/publicis-boosts-mslgroup-dc-qorvis-buy" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; background: transparent;">acquired Qorvis Communications</a> and merged it into the MSLGroup network.</font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">bs greenwash, nope, kert davies gp</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><a href="http://www.qorvis.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Qorvis Communications</font></a></strong></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://worldreport.holmesreport.com/top-250" style="text-decoration: none;">Annual Income From Fees in 2012:</a> $29,500,000</font></strong></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Address: 1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036</font></strong></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Phone: (202) 496-1000</font></strong></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents:</font></strong></p><ul style="margin: 1.2em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="list-style-type: square;"><strong><a href="http://www.climateinvestigations.org/qorvis_pr#background" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Background Resources</font></a></strong></li><li style="list-style-type: square;"><strong><a href="http://www.climateinvestigations.org/qorvis_pr#synopsis" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Climate Survey Response Synopsis</font></a></strong></li><li style="list-style-type: square;"><strong><a href="http://www.climateinvestigations.org/qorvis_pr#full" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Climate Survey Full Response</font></a></strong></li><li style="list-style-type: square;"><strong><a href="http://www.climateinvestigations.org/qorvis_pr#clients" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Clients and Campaigns</font></a></strong></li></ul><hr style="border-right-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.298039); clear: both; height: 0px; margin: 20px 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h4 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><a id="background"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Background Resources on</font></a></em></strong></h4><ul style="margin: 1.2em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="list-style-type: square;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Sourcewatch</font></a></li><li style="list-style-type: square;"><a href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firms_database/prfirm_detail.htm?prid=%7B09700CFA-8AD2-4CC1-BDF7-02D39693A834%7D" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">O'Dwyer's</font></a></li></ul><h4 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><a id="synopsis"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Climate Survey Response Synopsis</font></a></em></strong></h4><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Publicis, a French multinational advertising and public relations firm, owns the parent company, MSL, to which Qorvis is a subsidiary.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Publicis Groupe's vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Eve Magnant, responded to the survey. "Publicis Groupe is a signatory of the United Nations Global compact since 2003," Magnant said in her response. The firm has been monitoring its carbon footprint since 2009 and its progress is now "externally audited and verified by SGS." The focus of Publicis' environmental policy is "Consume Less and Better," which involves reducing waste and carbon impact in areas such as travel, with "30 telepresence rooms across the world." The firm's CSR reports are published as public information and Publicis is advising some clients on the implementation of such policies. </font></p><hr style="border-right-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.298039); clear: both; height: 0px; margin: 20px 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h4 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><a id="full"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Full Response to Our Survey</font></a></em></strong></h4><blockquote style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dear Mr Davies</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSLGROUP is a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe; the company is publishing each year a CSR Report; it’s a global one, embracing all of our BUs and activities, so including MSLGROUP.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You will find below the 2012 CSR Report – 2013 is just ongoing and will be available beginning of May. Before that, the 2013 official Registration Document will be available soon on our website with the chap. 1.4 dedicated to CSR activities, with first 2013 indicators 2013.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our CSR reporting is externally audited and verified by SGS.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To answer to your question, see my answers in blue in your mail.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hope it will help you to get a better view about Publicis Groupe and MSLGROUP engagement in CSR. Please don’t hesitate to come back to me if you need further details.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Best regards,
Eve Magnant</font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Does your company acknowledge the threat and challenge of climate change as companies like Walmart, Coca-Cola, Apple, Google, AIG, Swiss Re, NRG, Unilever and others have done?</font></strong></p><blockquote style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Publicis Groupe is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since 2003, and signed the UN pledge “Caring for climate” in 2007.</font></blockquote><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Does your company have any internal carbon accounting policies or energy use reduction targets? Have you taken actions to reduce your “carbon footprint”?</font></strong></p><blockquote style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Publicis Groupe is calculating its carbon footprint since 2009 with the support of Bureau Veritas. (Now it’s externally audited and verified by SGS). Our environmental policy “Consume Less & Better” is based on the European goals “20-20-20”, and we have specific targets in some areas.</font></blockquote><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Does your company have an internal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy regarding climate change or the environment generally?</font></strong></p><blockquote style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In our CSR Stretgy, we have an Environmental Policy “Consume Less & Better”, actually under revision. We are sharing our CSR reports including Environmental progresses – this is public information. Regarding Climate change, we are focusing our efforts on the most appropriate initiatives (related with our services activities): for example, with our 30 telepresence rooms across the world, we are trying to reduce Travel, because it’s the first source of our direct impacts; about Energy saving, many years from now, we implanted best practices and policies to reduce our direct consumption in our agencies.</font></blockquote><p style="margin: 1.12em 0px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Has your agency advised any client corporations on communications around CSR programs with a specific climate change focus, or on other climate change related public relations efforts?</font></strong></p><blockquote style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yes, we are working with some clients on their communication about their CSR or Environmental initiatives.</font></blockquote></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Qorvis Communications</b> is a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Public_relations" title="Public relations" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">public relations</a> firm with offices in Virginia and Washington D.C.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i> lists Qorvis as earning $23,900,000 in net fees in 2006, up 31% on the previous year. It notes the firm has 85 employees. <sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); border-image-source: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-width: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"> [<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#History" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Q-PAC" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Q-PAC</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Clients" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Clients</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Being.22unhelpful.22_in_attacking_Spitzer" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Being "unhelpful" in attacking Spitzer</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Controversy_over_Saud_account" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Controversy over Saud account</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#.22Outreach.22_for_the_House_of_Saud" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">"Outreach" for the House of Saud</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Employee_and_Income_Totals" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Employee and Income Totals</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Managing_partners" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Managing partners</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Other_staff" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">Other staff</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#Contact_information" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">Contact information</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">11</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#SourceWatch_resources" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">12</span> <span class="toctext">SourceWatch resources</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">13</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></font></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="History"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">History</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to <i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i>, Qorvis was “formed in August 2000 via the merger of Poretz Group (IR and technology PR), Weber-Merritt Co. (grassroots specialist) and JAS Communications (marketing communications)”. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/washington_report/2003/0312qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[1]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In February, O’Dwyer’s listed the 2003 fee income for Qorvis as being $12.2 million. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/march/0308edel_rankings.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[2]</a> O’Dwyers refers to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Patton_Boggs" title="Patton Boggs" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Patton Boggs</a> being an “investor” in Qorvis and as an “affiliate”. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/february/0227saudis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[3]</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/february/0213dellums.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[4]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Q-PAC"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q-PAC</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">PR Week</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Qorvis formed its own federal <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">political action committee</a> in the summer of 2004, called Q-PAC.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> "The agency decided to do that, says managing director </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Don_Goldberg" title="Don Goldberg" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Don Goldberg</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, because it's so important to get clients in front of policy makers." According to the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Center_for_Responsive_Politics" title="Center for Responsive Politics" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Center for Responsive Politics</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> database, Q-PAC had only raised $3,187 as of October 2004.</span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strid=C00398552&cycle=2004" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[5]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Qorvis has a PAC committee, which Goldberg heads, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, that decides what contributions Q-PAC should make. The committee doesn't actually take a vote, but tries to form a consensus. 'The person who suggests it says why it would help our clients or our firm and what amount it should be,' Goldberg says. 'If someone objects and we can't resolve it, then we don't do it.' Q-PAC has already made some contributions to candidates of both parties. That balance is important to the agency, Goldberg says - Qorvis has professionals from both sides of the political aisle."<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=224404&site=3" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[6]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Clients"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Clients</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Aside from its work for </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Saudi_Arabia" title="Saudi Arabia" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Saudi Arabia</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, Qorvis has also worked for the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">government of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Haiti" title="Haiti" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Haiti</a>. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to a lobbyist registration report filed by </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dellums%26_Associates&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Dellums & Associates (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Dellums & Associates</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> for the period to December 30, Qorvis would "participate in the preparation or dissemination of informational materials" on behalf of Haiti. However, Michael Petruzzello told </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> that while the company had worked for Haiti in the past it was not involved with the current work. </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/february/0213dellums.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[7]</a><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A58E8BD7-B9F9-418E-9756-E3368DEA11C8.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[8]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In September 2006, </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">O'Dwyer's</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and other PR trade publications reported that Qorvis had been retained by the major industry lobby group </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pharmaceutical_Research_and_Manufacturers_of_America" title="Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> (</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">PhRMA)</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, "for a national PR campaign to educate the public about the good work done by drug companies and the important role they play in developing new medicines." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0915phrma_qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[9]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In June 2007, Qorvis began working for the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bangladesh_Nationalist_Party&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Bangladesh Nationalist Party (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bangladesh Nationalist Party</a> (BNP), "an opposition group whose members have been jailed by the military regime that seized power in January. ... The BNP is working to promote democracy in <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bangladesh" title="Bangladesh" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bangladesh</a>," reported <i>O'Dwyer's</i>. While Qorvis had done at least some media outreach for the BNP, it had no formal contract with the party, had not received any compensation from the party, and was unclear whether the party would be paying them in the future. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0620qorvis_bangladesh.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[10]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Being.22unhelpful.22_in_attacking_Spitzer"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Being "unhelpful" in attacking Spitzer</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In October 2004, Qorvis was hired by insurance giant <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_International_Group" title="American International Group" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">American International Group</a> Inc. (AIG) for crisis management regarding New York state Attorney General <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Eliot_Spitzer" title="Eliot Spitzer" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Eliot Spitzer</a>'s probe of the insurance industry. Qorvis asked the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Leading_Authorities&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Leading Authorities (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Leading Authorities</a> booking agency to<b> email respected spokespeople on financial issues, to ask them to consider being paid to help AIG by criticizing Spitzer's investigation.</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109901287731159422,00.html?mod=us_business_whats_news" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[11]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The emails - which both Qorvis and Leading Authorities said AIG knew nothing about - were sent on October 25 to </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Yale School of Management dean <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeffrey_Sonnenfeld&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jeffrey Sonnenfeld (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Jeffrey Sonnenfeld</a>, former <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Securities_and_Exchange_Commission" title="Securities and Exchange Commission" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Securities and Exchange Commission</a> member <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Laura_Unger&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Laura Unger (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Laura Unger</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Enterprise_Institute" title="American Enterprise Institute" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">American Enterprise Institute</a> scholar <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kevin_Hassett&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Kevin Hassett (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Kevin Hassett</a>, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and former SEC chief accountant </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Lynn_Turner&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Lynn Turner (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Lynn Turner</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. The emails mentioned a possible </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"$25,000 retainer, and $10,000 for opinion articles or TV appearances.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">" They also suggested possible anti-Spitzer talking points, including that revamping "long-standing industry-wide practices is better left to regulators who understand the industry, rather than criminal investigators"; that concerns with the insurance industry "could have been addressed in a more subtle way, perhaps by bringing the industry in to reach an agreement, without the media storm"; and that "the innocent bystander ... is the individual investor" whose stocks are hurt by "the current theatrics." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109901287731159422,00.html?mod=us_business_whats_news" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[12]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Qorvis' </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Don_Goldberg" title="Don Goldberg" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Don Goldberg</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> said the emails were "just research," and that Qorvis hadn't asked Leading Authorities to offer money to the potential spokespeople.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> AIG fired Qorvis the same day that the emails were sent, for being "unhelpful." A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General's office called the campaign "manipulative, dishonest and wrong</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109901287731159422,00.html?mod=us_business_whats_news" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[13]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Controversy_over_Saud_account"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Controversy over Saud account</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">They announced several months after 9/11, on March 21st, 2002, that they were receiving a $200,000 a month retainer from the government of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Saudi_Arabia" title="Saudi Arabia" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Saudi Arabia</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In December 2002, the <i>New York Times</i> reported that three of the founding partners of Qorvis announced that they were leaving the firm.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Times reporter Philip Shenon reported that associates said "their departure reflects a deep discomfort in representing the government of Saudi Arabia against accusations that Saudi leaders have turned a blind eye to terrorism." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/06/international/middleeast/06SAUD.html?e" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[14]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The three departing partners were <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bernie_Merritt&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Bernie Merritt (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bernie Merritt</a> and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jim_Weber&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jim Weber (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Jim Weber</a>, described as longtime Republican strategists and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Judy_Smith&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Judy Smith (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Judy Smith</a>, "a former White House deputy press secretary who became the spokeswoman for Monica Lewinsky during President Clinton's impeachment". The three left to join the rival PR company <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Clark%26_Weinstock" title="Clark & Weinstock" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Clark & Weinstock</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In December 2004, the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation" title="Federal Bureau of Investigation" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">FBI</a> raided three of Qorvis' offices, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and delivered subpoenas to a fourth. Officials at the U.S. attorney's office confirmed the raids, but would not comment further since there was an "ongoing investigation." Qorvis "said the company understood that the government is conducting a 'compliance inquiry' under the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Foreign_Agents_Registration_Act" title="Foreign Agents Registration Act" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Foreign Agents Registration Act</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">." The company formally stated that "Qorvis has fully complied with this registration statute and we feel confident this will be resolved favorably."</span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49849-2004Dec8.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[15]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One week later, </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newsweek</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> reported that the Justice Department investigation of Qorvis involved a "2002 radio ad campaign supposedly paid for by an obscure group called the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alliance_for_Peace_and_Justice&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Alliance for Peace and Justice (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Alliance for Peace and Justice</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">," which the report described as "a hastily arranged and now dormant group consisting of well-established Washington organizations active in Middle East issues." At question is "whether the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Alliance for Peace and Justice was used by Qorvis president Michael Petruzzello and his chief client, the Saudi Embassy’s [Adel] al-Jubeir, to run advertisements that were really designed to burnish the Saudi government’s image and influence the domestic debate on U.S. Mideast policy.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">" </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719895/site/newsweek/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[16]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The radio ad campaign in question ran in 30 U.S. cities in 2002. The spots praised the Arab League’s “fair plan” for a Middle East peace settlement. The content of the ads was described as one person involved with the campaign as "moderate." The issue for the Justice Department is whether the ads ran afouls of the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Foreign_Agents_Registration_Act" title="Foreign Agents Registration Act" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Foreign Agents Registration Act</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, which requires "political or 'informational' messages be clearly labeled with a statement that the message was sponsored by a foreign government."</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newsweek</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> reported, "</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The ads were initially financed by a 'bridge loan' </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">of about $640,000 from the Saudi Embassy" and "the loan was repaid by funds solicited by al-Jubeir in Saudi Arabia from businesses associated with the Chambers of Commerce in Saudi Arabia and believed to be close to the Saudi government." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719895/site/newsweek/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%;">[17]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id=".22Outreach.22_for_the_House_of_Saud"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Outreach" for the House of Saud</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In an article that was published in the </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">New York Sun</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> on August 10 2004 - as well as numerous websites - the director of the</span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Middle_East_Forum" title="Middle East Forum" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Middle East Forum</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Daniel_Pipes" title="Daniel Pipes" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Daniel Pipes</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, exposed a </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Saudi "outreach" program aimed at American universities.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> "A range of public figures—former ambassadors, university professors, think tank experts – routinely opine in America about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while quietly taking Saudi funds," he wrote.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"They learnedly discuss Arabian affairs on television, radio, in public lectures, and university classrooms. Having no visible connection to Saudi money, they speak with the authority of disinterested U.S. experts, enjoying more credibility than, say, another billionaire prince from the royal family," he wrote. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2006" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[18]</a><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2004/08/12/news/world/wfinance0813.txt" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[19]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In response to Pipes original article in the <i>New York Sun</i>, the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia’s Information Office distributed a media release stating that “neither the government of Saudi Arabia nor any public relations firm compensates these individuals for their activities. These esteemed experts on Middle East issues speak their own minds and on their own behalf. ” <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040813/dcf035_1.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[20]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The media statement, distributed by Qorvis, took exception to Pipes statement that Saudi Arabia paid five Middle East experts to speak on its behalf. “This is absolutely not true,” it insisted. Furthermore it wanted the the <i>New York Sun</i> to print “an immediate apology” to the five.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security at the University of Chicago, Charles Lipson,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> explained in an e-mail released on Pipes website that he had been approached on several occasions by phone and e-mail by Sarah Burleson from </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Adelstein%26_Associates&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Adelstein & Associates (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Adelstein & Associates</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> who had told him she was working on behalf of Qorvis Communications.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a June 17 e-mail to Lipson, now reproduced on Pipes website, Burleson explained that her company "provides external communications for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and one of the primary goals in our 2004 outreach campaign is to provide ongoing education to communities around the country regarding the importance and value of strong U.S.-Saudi relations." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2018" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[21]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"It is crucial to reach Americans outside the Washington Beltway, and the Chicago area is a key market for us to address in that effort. One of our campaign components is to implement a speaker's bureau program on behalf of the Kingdom that reaches into target markets across the nation," she continued.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Burleson then went on to explain that "we have numerous spokespersons" that would be to present at Lipson's International Politics, Economics and Security Program at the University of Chicago. She proceeded to list five possible candidates: </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ambassador <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Walter_L.Cutler&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Walter L. Cutler (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Walter L. Cutler</a>, t</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">he President of </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Meridian_International_Center" title="Meridian International Center" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Meridian International Center</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">; </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mary_E.Morris&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Mary E. Morris (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Mary E. Morris</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, the Vice President and Director of Programs for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council; Ambassador </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Richard_W.Murphy" title="Richard W. Murphy" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Richard W. Murphy</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a member of the </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Council_on_Foreign_Relations" title="Council on Foreign Relations" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Council on Foreign Relations</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in New York; freelance writer </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandra_Mackey&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Sandra Mackey (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Sandra Mackey</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">; and Dr. </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Samer_Shehata" title="Samer Shehata" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Samer Shehata</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, assistant professor of Politics at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Georgetown_University&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Georgetown University (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Georgetown University</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While the Saudi Embassy insisted in its media stated that it did not pay those named, Lipson says he had discussed with Burleson the fact that if any of the fiver were to speak at the Univeristy of Chicago they would only be able to pay the normal honorarium of $250.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"At that point, she informed me that the P.R. firms would be paying all expenses, including travel and any associated honoraria, and that my speakers program would not have to pay anything at all. I did not explicitly ask whether these speakers received any fees directly or indirectly from the Saudi government, Saudi businesses, or Saudi philanthropies for this work, and she did not say," he wrote. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2018" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[22]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lipson was puzzled at the prospect of such luminaries working as volunteers. "Apparently, these senior figures spend days flying around the country, speaking on behalf of a major Saudi P.R. initiative, while turning down compensation from the venues that host them, from the Saudis themselves, and from the Saudi P.R. firms. One obvious question is whether they are compensated by any other Saudi-based or Saudi-funded institutions for these activities. The press release mentions only the government and the P.R. firms," he wrote.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i> attempted to contact Burleson but noted she did not return the call. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0816saudis_apology.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[23]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an editorial to follow up the controversy after publishing Pipes original column, the <i>New York Sun</i> reported that it had contacted all five of the potential speakers listed by Burleson. "All five denied not only being paid by the Saudis but even being aware that the Saudis were trying to line up speaking engagements for them, let alone offering to reimburse the host institution for their expenses and honoraria," it reported.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We don't lack regard for these individuals, who have every right to express their views. No doubt they would take umbrage at being called "spokespersons" in a wire from the Saudis regime's P.R. people. By our lights it all adds up to a lesson in Saudi methods, courtesy of the inestimable Daniel Pipes," the Sun wrote. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2025" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[24]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In January 2005 O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that Qorvis "is promoting the first Counter-Terrorism International Conference on behalf of client Saudi Arabia." More than 50 countries will be represented at the invite-only event in Riyadh, which will feature workshops on "relationships between terrorism, money laundering, arms and weapons, and how to promote international cooperation in combating terror." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0202qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[25]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Employee_and_Income_Totals"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Employee and Income Totals</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">PR Week ranked</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Qorvis Communications as the number seven PR agency in the United States in 2008</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, with 2007 revenue of $30,497,000, a 28% increase from the previous year's total revenue of $23,900,000. The ranking also notes its staff total of 86 (2006 total: 85), with $354,616 in revenue per employee.</span><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Managing_partners"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Managing partners</font></span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Michael_Petruzzello" title="Michael Petruzzello" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Michael Petruzzello</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Doug_Poretz&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Doug Poretz (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Doug Poretz</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Curtis_Robinson&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Curtis Robinson (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Curtis Robinson</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Esther_Thomas_Smith&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Esther Thomas Smith (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Esther Thomas Smith</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Michael_Tucker&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Michael Tucker (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Michael Tucker</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Karen_Vahouny&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Karen Vahouny (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Karen Vahouny</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Other_staff"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other staff</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In October 2004, <i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i> reported that <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Matt_Lauer" title="Matt Lauer" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Matt Lauer</a>, the former executive director at the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Department_of_State" title="Department of State" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">State Department</a>'s <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.Advisory_Commission_on_Public_Diplomacy" title="U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy</a>, joined Qorvis as a director. Qorvis CEO Michael Petruzzello commended Lauer's "unique skills to foster understanding between the Middle East and the American people"; Lauer said he will be "working on a collection of clients, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," with Qorvis. As the Commission on Public Diplomacy's director, Lauer critiqued U.S. outreach to Muslim countries.<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/1012lauer.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[26]</a> In February 2007, Qorvis promoted Lauer from director to managing director. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-12-2007/0004525668&EDATE=" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[27]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In June 2006, <i>O'Dwyer's</i> reported that former <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/AT%26T" title="AT&T" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">AT&T</a> media relations head <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jim_McGann&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jim McGann (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Jim McGann</a> was joining Qorvis as their managing director. "McGann will be working with the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Computer_and_Communications_Industry&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Computer and Communications Industry (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Computer and Communications Industry</a> and the pro-'Net neutrality '<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=It%27s_Our_Net&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="It's Our Net (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">It's Our Net</a>' coalition on the current telecom reform bill," according to <i>O'Dwyer's</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0623mcgann.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[28]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Qorvis promoted Don Goldberg, Rich Masters and Susan Murphy to firm partners in February 2007. Other staff promoted at that time included Halah Al-Jubeir, Al Black, Jim Clouse, Elissa Dodge, Kristin Perkins, Seth Thomas Pietras, Jennifer Stoltz, Charissa Benjamin, Catherine Castro, Renate Geerlings, Layton Meng, Lauren Poplawski, Matt Gottlieb, Lauren (Ashley) Mason, and Pierce Resler. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-12-2007/0004525668&EDATE=" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[29]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In May 2008, Bulldog Reporter reported that Tom Reynolds, who most recently served as the national press secretary for presidential candidate and New Mexico Governor <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bill_Richardson" title="Bill Richardson" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bill Richardson</a>, has joined the firm as a Director. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://bulldogreporter.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=2436B6EB9392483ABB0A373E8B823A24&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&AudID=213D92F8BE0D4A1BB62EB3DF18FCCC68&tier=4&id=9ACA04508A8A4071B71871E4C65069FC" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">[30]</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_information"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contact information</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">8484 Westpark Drive
Suite 800
McLean, Virginia 22102
Phone: 703.744.7800
Fax: 703.744.7840
Email: dporetz AT qorvis.com
Web: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.qorvis.com/index.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">http://www.qorvis.com/index.htm</a>
</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202.496.1000
Fax: 202.496.1300
</font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">References</font></span></h2><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">2006 Worldwide Fees of independent Firms With Major U.S. Operations</a>", accessed June 2007.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">"2008 Agency Rankings," PR Week, 28 April 2008.</span></font></li></ol><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="SourceWatch_resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SourceWatch resources</font></span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Saudi_Arabia" title="Saudi Arabia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Saudi Arabia</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Public_relations_firms" title="Public relations firms" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Public relations firms</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Net_neutrality" title="Net neutrality" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Net neutrality</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pharmaceutical_Research_and_Manufacturers_of_America" title="Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External links</font></span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://schema-root.org/commerce/corporation/public_relations/qorvis_communications/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Schema-root.org:</a> current news feed for Qorvis Communications</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strid=C00398552&cycle=2004" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis PAC finances</a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/march/0308edel_rankings.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Edelman heads list of independents</a>," <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, March 8, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Philip Shenon, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/06/international/middleeast/06SAUD.html?e" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">3 Partners Quit Firm Handling Saudis' P.R.</a>," <i>New York Times</i>, December 6, 2002.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/washington_report/2003/0312qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis reports big growth spurt</a>”, <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, March 12, 2003.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/may/0517qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Not all Americans are bad”</a>, <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, May 17, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/may/0525keating.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Keating aims to clear Saudi’s name</a>”, <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, May 25, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/archived_stories_2004/june/0622qorvis_barnett.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis seeks to bond American, Saudi women</a>," <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, June 22, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel Pipes, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2006" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">The Saudis' Covert P.R. Campaign</a>," <i>New York Sun</i>, August 10, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040813/dcf035_1.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Responds to New York Sun Article</a>," Media release, August 13, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charles Lipson, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2018" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Statement by Charles Lipson</a>," DanielPipes.org, August 13, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel Pipes, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/305" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Does the Saudi Government Subsidize Speakers on American Campuses?</a>," DanielPipes.org, August 13, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0816saudis_apology.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Saudis want apology</a>," <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, August 16, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0818saudis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Saudis run radio ads</a>," <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, August 18, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel Pipes, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2004/08/12/news/world/wfinance0813.txt" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Saudi Arabia financing covert PR campaign</a>," Cleveland Jewish News, August 18, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2025" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Numerous Spokespersons</a>", <i>The New York Sun</i>, August 18, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thom Weidlich, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=224404&site=3" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">ANALYSIS The Agency Business : PR firms look to PACs to add structure to political donations</a>," <i>PR Week</i>(sub. req'd.), October 11, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/1012lauer.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Lauer Joins Qorvis</a>," <i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i>, October 12, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jonathan Weil, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109901287731159422,00.html?mod=us_business_whats_news" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Booking Agency Sought Speakers To Criticize Spitzer</a>," <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, October 29, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sari Horwitz and Dan Eggen, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49849-2004Dec8.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">FBI Searches Saudi Arabia's PR Firm</a>," <i>Washington Post</i>, December 9, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Keith O'Brien, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.prweek.com/news/news_story.cfm?ID=230349&site=3" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis confident its has acted properly in light of government probe</a>", <i>PR Week</i>, December 9, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Isikoffand Mark Hosenball, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719895/site/newsweek/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Did Saudis Deceptively Finance Ad Campaign?</a>," <i>Newsweek</i>, December 16, 2004.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0202qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis promotes anti-terror confab</a>", <i>O’Dwyers PR Daily</i>, February 2, 2005. (Sub req'd)</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gene Rector, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/local/states/georgia/counties/houston_peach/12400826.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">WR Rotary Club gives pro-Saudi presentation mixed reviews</a>," <i>Macon Telegraph</i>, August 17, 2005. A talk to Rotarians by Dr. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Frank_Richter&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Frank Richter (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Frank Richter</a>, a member of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/World_Affairs_Council" title="World Affairs Council" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">World Affairs Council</a>, college professor and an NBC News consultant, urged closer U.S.-Saudi ties. "Richter's expenses for the visit were paid by Qorvis Communications, a Washington, D.C., public relations firm that lists the Saudi Arabian Embassy as one of its clients. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Capitol_Strategy_Group&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Capitol Strategy Group (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Capitol Strategy Group</a>, an Atlanta public relations agency, scheduled the event."</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Benjamin Duncan, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A58E8BD7-B9F9-418E-9756-E3368DEA11C8.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">PR firms burnish Arab image in US</a>", Aljazeerah, September 1, 2005.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/washington_report/0105qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis Gets $6M From Saudi Arabia</a>", <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i>, January 5, 2006, (Sub req's.)</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0623mcgann.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">AT&T's McGann Joins Qorvis</a>," <i>O'Dwyers PR Daily</i> (sub req'd), June 23, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Keith O'Brien, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/article/592987/PhRMA-enlists-Qorvis-campaign/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">PhRMA enlists Qorvis for campaign</a>", <i>PR Week</i>, September 15, 2006. (Sub req'd).</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0915phrma_qorvis.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">PhRMA Taps Qorvis</a>," <i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i> (sub req'd), September 15, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://holmesreport.com/holmestemp/story.cfm?edit_id=6163&typeid=1" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">PhRMA Selects Qorvis for Industry Image Campaign</a>," <i>Holmes Report</i>, September 17, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press release, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-12-2007/0004525668&EDATE=" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis Promotes Goldberg, Masters and Murphy to Partners</a>," Qorvis Communications via PR Newswire, February 12, 2007.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0620qorvis_bangladesh.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis Reps Bangladesh Opposition Group</a>," <i>O'Dwyer's PR Daily</i> (sub req'd), June 20, 2007.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ariel Alexovich and Jacqueline Klingebiel, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11443.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Suite Talk: Faucheux to head new polling firm</a>," Politico.com, July 1, 2008.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Powerbase <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Qorvis" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Qorvis</a></font></li></ul></div><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 5px; margin-top: 1em; clear: both; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; 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</div><div>http://www.dailydot.com/news/qorvis-lauer-wikipedia-paid-editing-scandal/</div><div>
</div><div>By Kevin Morris Mar 8<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, 2013,</span> 2:04pm CT | Last updated Apr 30, 2013, 11:05am CT</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>An American public relations company has been caught allegedly fluffing up Wikipedia pages for clients that include powerful governments from around the world. For Wikipedians, the case shows just how far the regimes and their Western proxies will go to manipulate their image on the sixth most popular website in the world</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Last week, Wikipedians uncovered a string of puppet accounts they said belonged to the staff of Qorvis, a Washington D.C.-based company best known for massaging the public image of <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">dictatorships from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.</span></div><div>
</div><div>In a scathing post published to the company's official blog,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Qorvis partner Matt J. Lauer denied the allegations and ripped into the encyclopedia's editing policies, saying Wikipedia provides no avenue for article subjects to defend themselves against grievous errors and slander.</span></div><div>
</div><div>"This is a serious flaw and a real challenge for a site that has become a fundamental source for so many around the world," Lauer wrote.</div><div>
</div><div>Wikipedia enables the spread of "blatantly false" information, Lauer said, because it prohibits article subjects from editing their own pages and yet dominates Google search results about them.</div><div>
</div><div>Look no further than the Qorvis Wikipedia page itself, Lauer suggested, calling it a "real yarn." There, Wikipedia claimed that Qorvis both employs hundreds of Wikipedia editors and that its CEO was nicknamed "The Super Gypsy"—statements that were, according to Lauer, "quite obviously false—and damaging to our company, clients, and the public."</div><div>
</div><div>But is the situation as cut and dry as Qorvis would have you believe, or is Lauer's public response just clever PR obfuscation?<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Wikipedia cofounder Jimmy Wales certainly isn't buying his excuses, telling Lauer via Twitter: "Your complaints are deeply dishonest to the point of being embarrassing. Your clients should fire you for it."</span></div><div>
</div><div>Wikipedians accuse Qorvis of employing a small crew of <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">sockpuppets</span>—multiple accounts owned by the same user to deceptively orchestrate an editing bloc—to fan out across the free encyclopedia and attempt to whitewash the pages of its clients.</div><div>
</div><div>Here is just a sampling of Wikipedians' voluminous evidence, which they've been gathering from as far back as 2011. Qorvis has claimed it has nothing to do with these accounts.</div><div>
</div><div>Wikipedia user "Sacoca" allegedly runs a string of five accounts that remove negative information and add PR fluff to the Qorvis page and that of <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Kazakhstan oligarch </span>Alexander Mirtchev, an apparent Qorvis client. The Sacoca account is almost certainly run by Tom Squitieri, a Qorvis employee. Sacoca wrote nearly the entire Wikipedia entry for Squitieri, and also uploaded a photo of Squitieri to Wikimedia Commons. All of these accounts were blocked from editing after an internal Wikipedia investigation—which looks at IP addresses and editing behavior—confirmed that they likely belonged to the same person.</div><div> </div><div>One of the alleged Sacoca sockpuppets, Harriet888 only edits the Qorvis page, adding information about current staff and awards and honors—and allegedly scrubbing it of any negative information, like hiding negative information about Bahrain, one of Qorvis' clients. This seems a strange obsession for someone to have, if they indeed have nothing to do with Qorvis.</div><div> </div><div>Four additional users—38.100.14.250, Aadd01, Ratfinx and Underscore77—made edits to a similar group of articles, many of which are Qorvis clients, including Mexico, the Washington Kastles basketball team, Kuwait. And if there's any question about who ran those accounts, the <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">IP address 38.100.14.250—the unique number that identifies a computer or groups of computers online—actually belongs to Qorvis, according to a Who.is query.</span></div><div>
</div><div>This is where things get very interesting. Remember Lauer's claim that some creatively slanderous Wikipedian had written that CEO Michael Petruzzello was known as the "Super Gypsy among the Washington elite?" The Daily Dot discovered that the edit was actually made by the exact same Qorvis IP address listed above: 38.100.14.250. Either inside jokes from Qorvis staffers were leaking on to Wikipedia, or the "Super Gypsy" really is Petruzzello's nickname.</div><div>
</div><div>Regardless, the fact that Lauer omitted this key information from his blog post shows that either he's either being dishonest or is ignorant of what his employees are doing on Wikipedia. Either way, it calls into question everything else Lauer has said about Qorvis' activity on the site.</div><div>
</div><div>Qorvis is no boutique PR firm. Rather, it's something of a giant in the industry.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> The company raked in $29.5 million in client fees and employed 102 people in 2011, putting it in at No. 8 on O'Dwyer PR's list of top firms in 2012.</span></div><div>
</div><div>A large chunk of that cash comes from foreign governments. Shortly following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Saudi Arabia reportedly signed a $14 million a year contract with Qorvis, charging the company to lead a TV and media blitz in the United States—what Mother Jones would later describe as to putting "lipstick on a dictator." In 2005, the FBI raided Qorvis' offices as part of an investigation into whether a series of anti-Israeli ad campaigns allegedly orchestrated by Qorvis on behalf of the Saudi government broke federal law. No charges were filed.</div><div>
</div><div>The Kingdom of <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bahrain,</span> meanwhile, pays Qorvis about $4.8 million every year to smooth over its image across the world.</div><div>
</div><div>Tom Squitieri, the Qorvis employee Wikipedians accuse of running sockpuppet accounts, has a checkered past all his own. In 2005, he was forced to resign from USA Today after he was <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">accused of borrowing quotes </span>from other publications (a case that, in Squitieri's defense, is not as cut-and-dry as it sounds). After leaving journalism, Squitieri joined Qorvis, where he's best known for penning essays at the Huffington Post that defended the Bahraini government's brutal crackdown during the Arab Spring and blamed the protesters for the violence. Those essays became notorious representations of the type of work Qorvis does for its employers. (At no point did Squitieri disclose he was an employee of Qorvis.)</div><div>
</div><div>This isn't the first time Qorvis or a company in its orbit has attracted controversy on Wikipedia. In 2011, British PR firm <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bell-Pottinger </span>was caught running a similar scheme on the encyclopedia, editing out negative information from its client pages. Qorvis subcontracted its Bahrain work to Bell-Pottinger until 2011.</div><div>
</div><div>All that said, Lauer's blog post does raise some important points, and he's absolutely right that Wikipedia could do a much better job providing article subjects tools to defend themselves from misinformation. </div><div>
</div><div>Article subjects are forbidden from editing their own pages. Paid advocacy, the type of work PR firms might do for their clients, is highly discouraged. Wikipedia will generally block anyone who registers under a company name, preferring that employees register under their own name, state their conflict of interests on their Wikipedia user page and point out problems on discussion ("talk") pages in lieu of editing articles themselves. One Wikipedian joked that the encyclopedia's pages should come with this disclosure: "this is a Wikipedia article about you that anyone can edit—except you."</div><div>
</div><div>"It's a slippery slope," Jay Walsh, Wikipedia's communications head, told the Daily Dot. "Every piece of factual information on WIkipedia is expected to be backed up by a source. But fundamentally we need to know where the information came from."</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>In other words, subjects have an inherent bias when editing articles about themselves. "If we knew this was a common practice, people would have a very tough time trusting Wikipedia," Walsh said.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Wikipedia's tools for reporting errors aren't obvious. You can leave a comment on the article's talk page, but that won't necessarily get noticed by an editor, especially on smaller articles. More savvy users can ask for help at Wikipedia's administrator noticeboard—but realistically, how many article subjects have ever heard of such a place?</div><div>
</div><div>Walsh suggests emailing the foundation itself if the problem is really urgent, such as in the case of slander. But the "contact us" link on Wikipedia is buried at the bottom of the site, in a font small enough that some people probably require glasses to read it. There's no big red button saying "Click here if you are the subject of this article and it is slandering you."</div><div>
</div><div>That said, Qorvis's PR campaign in the wake of the scandal isn't helping advance worthwhile discussion about the problem.</div><div>
</div><div>"Qorvis is certainly not alone in this battle for truth." Lauer wrote in his blog post. The fact that a firm like Qorvis—a company that embodies a conflict of interest if there ever was one—-is pursuing its own version of "truth" on Wikipedia may be the best justification for the encyclopedia's stringent editing rules yet.</div><div>
</div><div>Qorvis did not respond to a request for comment on this story.</div><div>
</div><div>UPDATE: Qorvis partner Matt J. Lauer said the company never received our request for comment. He directed me to this statement on a separate forum that discussed the controversy. We are reproducing it below:</div><div>
</div><div>The point of my piece is that anyone in the world can contribute to an article. This is unless one of two things happens: 1. The editor of the article could be a primary source of the article. 2. The source has a different [point of view] than Jimmy Wales or the majority of Wikipedia editors. I just dont understand why there is a problem hearing from a different side. If the evidence is incorrectly sourced or wrong, other editors will take it out anyway. Everything is perceived as a conspiracy.</div><div>
</div><div>On our corporate IP address [thousands] of people have used it over the years. Some of these people are disgruntled employees who want to call our CEO, "Super Gypsy," others are true believers who edit Wikipedia on their own volition. There was once a shared editing address that a bunch of employees had on their own, but that was used to edit everything from personal volunteer projects, to Harry Potter characters, to clients they may have had a [point of view] on. They have not used that for a few years.</div><div>
</div><div>It is no secret that clients with challenges retain Qorvis. These clients are influential people and corporations with some allies and supporters. I am sure some of those people contribute to Wikipedia. And, really, why should they not be able to contribute?</div><div>
</div><div>Lauer added via a direct message on Twitter: "[Qorvis] employees may edit Wikipedia and they may not, but we have no corporate policy or interest in making this some kind of profit making venture."</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The <b>Financial Services Roundtable</b> (</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">FSR) is a U.S. trade association that lobbies on behalf of 100 of the top banks, credit card companies, insurance and securities services firms operating in the United States. Its membership includes many bailed-out banks including: </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Citigroup" title="Citigroup" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Citigroup</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/JPMorgan_Chase" title="JPMorgan Chase" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">JPMorgan Chase</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bank_of_America" title="Bank of America" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Bank of America</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Wells_Fargo" title="Wells Fargo" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Wells Fargo</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/PNC_Financial_Services_Group,Inc." title="PNC Financial Services Group, Inc." style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">PNC</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); border-image-source: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-width: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"> [<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Member_companies" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Member companies</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Political_contributions" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Political contributions</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Lobbying" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Lobbying</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Embarrassed_by_opulence_of_meeting" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Embarrassed by opulence of meeting</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Image-improvement_campaign" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Image-improvement campaign</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#PR_Case_study" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">PR Case study</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Personnel" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Personnel</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Officers" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Officers</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Contact_details" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">Contact details</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Articles_and_resources" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">Articles and resources</span></font></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#Related_SourceWatch_articles" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">10.1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch articles</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">10.2</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#External_articles" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">10.3</span> <span class="toctext">External articles</span></font></a></li></ul></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Member_companies"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Member companies</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Example companies:<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[1]</a></sup></font></p><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Allianz_Life_Insurance_Company_of_North_America&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Allstate" title="Allstate" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Allstate</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Capital_One" title="Capital One" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Capital One</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Charles_Schwab" title="Charles Schwab" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Charles Schwab</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fidelity_Investments" title="Fidelity Investments" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Fidelity Investments</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/General_Electric" title="General Electric" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">General Electric</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/State_Farm" title="State Farm" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">State Farm</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Political_contributions"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Political contributions</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Financial Services Roundtable gave $386,857 to federal candidates in the 2010 election as of October 2010 through its <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">political action committee</a> - 46% to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Democrats" title="Democrats" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Democrats</a> and 54% to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_Party(USA)" title="Republican Party (USA)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Republicans</a>. In 2008 it gave $341,323 - 46% to Democrats and 54% to Republicans. <sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Lobbying"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lobbying</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The group spent $6,900,000 for <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Lobbying" title="Lobbying" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">lobbying</a> in 2009. $935,000 went to outside <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Lobbying_firms" title="Lobbying firms" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">lobbying firms</a> such as <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Smith-Free_Group" title="The Smith-Free Group" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Smith-Free Group</a> and<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Winston%26_Strawn" title="Winston & Strawn" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Winston & Strawn</a> with the remainder being spent using in-house lobbyists. <sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Embarrassed_by_opulence_of_meeting" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embarrassed by opulence of meeting</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Financial Services Roundtable (FSR) was embarrassed by the opulence of the location of its March 2009 Spring Meeting in Naples, Florida, after Anna Burger of </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Change_to_Win_Coalition" title="Change to Win Coalition" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Change to Win</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> sent a letter of complaint. The group then moved its meeting to a secret location in Washington, DC. Invitees included Treasury Secretary </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Timothy_F.Geithner" title="Timothy F. Geithner" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Timothy Geithner</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, Sen. </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_McCain" title="John McCain" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">John McCain</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, R-Ariz., Rep. </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Barney_Frank" title="Barney Frank" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Barney Frank</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, D-Mass., Sen. </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Max_Baucus" title="Max Baucus" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Max Baucus</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, D-Mont., FDIC chair </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Sheila_Bair" title="Sheila Bair" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Sheila Bair</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and SEC chair </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mary_Schapiro" title="Mary Schapiro" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Mary Schapiro</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Anna Burger also called on the group to</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> immediately stop all lobbying against the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Employee_Free_Choice_Act" title="Employee Free Choice Act" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Employee Free Choice Act</a> which involves the rights of workers to unionize and "to revoke the membership of any bailout recipient that is engaged in similar partisan political activity."<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">[4]</a></sup></span></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Image-improvement_campaign"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Image-improvement campaign</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2010 Bloomberg reported that the Financial Services Roundtable was "starting an image-improvement campaign aimed at showing the financial industry as trustworthy and a positive force after more than a year of being chastised in Washington." The public relations campaign is being led by three firms:</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> public relations specialists </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/APCO_Worldwide" title="APCO Worldwide" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">APCO Worldwide</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, pollster </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Luntz_Maslansky_Strategic_Research" title="Luntz Maslansky Strategic Research" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Luntz</a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Luntz_Maslansky_Strategic_Research" title="Luntz Maslansky Strategic Research" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"> Maslansky Strategic Research</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and DDB,</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> an advertising agency owned by New York-based </span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Omnicom_Group" title="Omnicom Group" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Omnicom Group</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Inc.</span><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="PR_Case_study"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PR Case study</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">PR firm</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications" title="Qorvis Communications" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Qorvis </a></span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Qorvis_Communications" title="Qorvis Communications" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Communications</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> did work for the group and has this case study on their website:</span></font></b></p><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><dd style="margin-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Financial Services Roundtable, one of the most important and prestigious trade associations in Washington, D.C., wanted a way to demonstrate to U.S. senators and representatives that Roundtable members were important, both economically and politically, to their states and congressional districts. The Roundtable had to provide them with specific but usable information that clearly demonstrated the positive effects of its members on any given local economy.</font></dd></dl><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><dd style="margin-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Qorvis began the project by designing an extensive internal communications campaign to explain the project to Roundtable members. Qorvis then designed an extensive database, collected information from member companies, sorted all of the facilities and employees by state and congressional district, put the information in a specially created template and then analyzed the information for each of the 535 districts and 50 states. The resulting 750 page document was embraced by the Roundtable’s members and staff. In fact, the document has become a routine part of the association’s daily efforts on Capitol Hill.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[6]</a></sup></font></dd></dl><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Personnel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Personnel</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[7]</font></a></sup></p><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Steve_Bartlett" title="Steve Bartlett" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Steve Bartlett</a>, CEO</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Richard_M.Whiting&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Richard M. Whiting (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Richard M. Whiting</a>, Executive Director and General Counsel</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_H.Dalton&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="John H. Dalton (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">John H. Dalton</a>, President, Housing Policy Council</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Scott_E.Talbott" title="Scott E. Talbott" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Scott E. Talbott</a>, Senior vice president of government affairs</font></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Officers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Officers</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[8]</font></a></sup></p><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Richard_K.Davis&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Richard K. Davis (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Richard K. Davis</a>, Chairman</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_E.Rohr" title="James E. Rohr" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">James E. Rohr</a>, Chairman-Elect</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_P.Kelly&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Robert P. Kelly (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Robert P. Kelly</a>, Treasurer</font></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_details"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contact details</font></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 500 South
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: 202-289-4322
Fax: 202-628-2507
Email: info AT fsround.org
Web: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.fsround.org/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">http://www.fsround.org</a></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Articles_and_resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Articles and resources</font></span></h2><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related SourceWatch articles</font></span></h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/2008_financial_bailout_bill" title="2008 financial bailout bill" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">2008 financial bailout bill</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Crisis" title="Financial Crisis" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Financial Crisis</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_R.Watjen" title="Thomas R. Watjen" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Thomas R. Watjen</font></a></li></ul><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">References</font></span></h3><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.fsround.org/about/member_companies.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Member Companies</a>, Financial Services Roundtable, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00193177&cycle=2010" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">2010 PAC Summary Data</a>, <i>Open Secrets</i>, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2009&lname=Financial+Services+Roundtable&id=" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Financial Services Roundtable lobbying expenses</a>, <i>Open Secrets</i>, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.changetowin.org/for-the-media/press-releases-and-statements/financial-services-roundtable-responds-to-change-to-win-demand-moves-spring-meeting.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Financial Services Roundtable Responds to Change To Win Demand, Moves Spring Meeting</a>", Change to Win, February 12, 2009.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Julianna Goldman and Robert Schmidt, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aFb60nvnfyZM" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Big Banks Begin Effort to Improve Image, 'Set Record Straight'</a>", Bloomberg, March 24, 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-6" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.qorvis.com/clients/case-studies/financial-services-roundtable-government-and-media-relations" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">PR Case study</a>, Qorvis Communications, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.fsround.org/about/staff.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Staff</a>, Financial Services Roundtable, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Financial_Services_Roundtable#cite_ref-8" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span>↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.fsround.org/about/executive.htm" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Board</a>, Financial Services Roundtable, accessed October 2010.</span></font></li></ol><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 1.6; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External articles</font></span></h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2007/may/chamber-executives-appointed-financial-services-roundtable-commission-enhanc" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Chamber Executives Appointed to Financial Services Roundtable Commission on Enhancing Competitiveness</a>", U.S. Chamber of Commerce, May 23, 2007.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Williamson, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122204115528161189.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Banks Rush to Shape Rescue Plan</a>", <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, September 22, 2008.</font></li></ul></div><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 5px; margin-top: 1em; clear: both; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Categories</a>: </font><ul style="list-style: none none; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-style: none; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em; zoom: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Real_Economy_Project" title="Category:Real Economy Project" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Real Economy Project</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Banking_industry" title="Category:Banking industry" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Banking industry</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/pr-qaddafi-mubarak-saudi-yemen</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">lost links</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Extreme Makeover: Mideast Autocrat Edition</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>From Moammar Qaddafi to the house of Saud, six repressive rulers who hired PR firms to help clean up their images</div><div>
</div><div>By Hamed Aleaziz | Mon Oct. 3, 2011 6:00 AM EDT</div><div>
</div><div>It's gotten tough for Middle Eastern autocrats to keep up appearances. But Western PR firms are ready to help—for a price. As a disgusted former employee of Qorvis Communications [1] told the Huffington Post, "These scumbags will pay whatever you want." Some recent examples:</div><div>Hosni Mubarak</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>PR headache:</div><div>
</div><div>The former Egyptian president's (above left) record of 26 years of economic stagnation and political repression</div><div>
</div><div>Image makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>DC-based Qorvis Communications announces in 2007 that Mubarak has embarked on "a new era of open elections." [4]</div><div>
</div><div>Price tag:</div><div>
</div><div>$125,000</div><div>
</div><div>Bahrain</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>PR headache:</div><div>
</div><div>The 230-year-old monarchy answers calls for reform with arrests, beatings, and shootings.</div><div>
</div><div>Image makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>Qorvis publicizes the regime's $3 million donation to famine-stricken Somalia. Sanitas International and ex-Howard Dean campaign manager <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Joe Trippi </span>sign on to provide "strategic communications counsel." [7]</div><div>
</div><div>Price tag:</div><div>
</div><div>$40,000/month (Qorvis)</div><div>
</div><div>Undisclosed (Sanitas/Trippi)</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Syria</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>PR headache:</div><div>
</div><div>International condemnation for the bloody repression of antigovernment protests</div><div>
</div><div>Image makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>Brown Lloyd James [9] helps get First Lady Asma al-Assad (above left) a spread in Vogue [10]. The magazine calls her "the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies" and Syria the "safest country in the Middle East."</div><div>
</div><div>Price tag:</div><div>
</div><div>$5,000/month</div><div>
</div><div>Yemen</div><div>
</div><div>PR Headache:</div><div>
</div><div>Months of demonstrations and violence threaten the Yemeni government, headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh (above left).</div><div>
</div><div>Image Makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>Qorvis does "media outreach" for the National Awareness Authority, a pro-government propaganda group</div><div>
</div><div>Price Tag:</div><div>
</div><div>$30,000/month</div><div>
</div><div>Saudi Arabia</div><div>
</div><div>Saudi Arabia</div><div>Ammar Abd Rabbo [13]/Flickr</div><div>
</div><div>Saudi Arabia</div><div>NidalM [14]/Flickr</div><div>
</div><div>PR Headache:</div><div>
</div><div>The Middle East's oldest ruling family, headed by King Abdullah (above left), gets a tad nervous about the Arab Spring.</div><div>
</div><div>Image makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>A Qorvis press release emphasizes that the country's restless youth—not oil—are "its greatest natural resource."</div><div>
</div><div>Price tag:</div><div>
</div><div>Undisclosed. (The Saudis paid Qorvis more than $11 million for similar work in 2002.)</div><div>
</div><div>Moammar Qaddafi</div><div>
</div><div>Lybia</div><div>
</div><div>PR Headache:</div><div>
</div><div>The former Libyan president's reputation as a megalomaniacal, terrorism-sponsoring despot</div><div>
</div><div>Image Makeover:</div><div>
</div><div>Brown Lloyd James helps set up Qaddafi's 2009 speech at the UN [9]. Hopps & Associates buses in fans to watch and hands out T-shirts. The Monitor Group, a consulting firm, signs up "to enhance the profile of Libya and Muammar Qadhafi." [17]</div><div>
</div><div>Price Tag:</div><div>
</div><div>$1.2 million (BLJ)</div><div>
</div><div>$665,000 (Hopps)</div><div>
</div><div>$3 million/year (Monitor)</div><div>
</div><div>Source URL: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/pr-qaddafi-mubarak-saudi-yemen</div><div>Links:</div><div>[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/lobbyist-mideast-unrest-departures_n_840231.html</div><div>[2] http://Egypt http://www.flickr.com/photos/15237218@N00/962943549/</div><div>[3] http://www.flickr.com/photos/48415143@N00/5404342131/</div><div>[4] http://www.thefreelibrary.com/President+Mubarak+Addresses+9th+National+Democratic+Party+%28NDP%29...-a0170628102</div><div>[5] http://www.flickr.com/photos/15237218@N00/3544940991/</div><div>[6] http://www.flickr.com/photos/19425349@N00/5458931664/</div><div>[7] http://www.scribd.com/doc/63730440/Trippi-Exhibit-AB-20110823</div><div>[8] http://www.flickr.com/photos/syrian-freedom-captured/5736678914/</div><div>[9] http://motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2011/09/human-rights-logo-libya-brown-lloyd-james</div><div>[10] http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/02/vogue-defends-profile-of-syrian-first-lady/71764/</div><div>[11] https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/wiki/File:Ali_Abdullah_Saleh.jpg</div><div>[12] http://www.flickr.com/photos/32834977@N03/6013182763/</div><div>[13] http://www.flickr.com/photos/21499556@N04/2701802819/</div><div>[14] http://www.flickr.com/photos/22958489@N04/3801914032/</div><div>[15] http://www.flickr.com/photos/33678919@N07/5737750504/</div><div>[16] https://secure.flickr.com/photos/21499556@N04/6149181881/</div><div>[17] http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/libya-qaddafi-monitor-group</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">bs</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rich Masters joined Qorvis MSLGROUP in 2003 as managing director, and became an executive vice president in 2007. Masters is recognized as one of the top political and media relations experts in the United States, and manages the Qorvis MSLGROUP media relations practice. In addition to developing and implementing multi-million dollar PR campaigns, Masters initiated Qorvis’ state-of-the-art media training studio in the company’s Washington D.C. office. In this studio, clients learn to “meet the press” and communicate their messages through any broadcast media.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Masters came to Qorvis MSLGROUP after serving more than six years as a </font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">top policy and communications advisor to U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA)</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. After helping Landrieu a close Senate election in 1996, Masters joined her team on Capitol Hill as communications director. Three years later, he became policy and communications director, effectively overseeing both the legislative and communications teams. As legislative and communications director, he helped set Senator Landrieu’s aggressive legislative strategy which positioned her as one of the leading moderate new Democrats in the Senate. The strategy helped position her as a national leader while remaining strong in her home state. In 2002, Masters was one of the architects who helped design Sen. Landrieu’s reelection campaign strategy and oversaw both earned and paid media efforts. She won the election despite facing a national trend against Democrats and being outspent nearly 3 to 1 by her opponents.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">From 1982 until joining the Landrieu campaign in 1996, Masters served in nearly every capacity in broadcasting. From </font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">rock-n-roll disc jockey in Davenport, Iowa, to weatherman in Moline, Illinois, to Emmy-nominated TV anchor and political reporter in Louisiana.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He is a frequent spokesperson and regular TV and radio commentator on political issues. In a recent profile in The Atlantic Monthly, Masters was called the </font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Jedi Master to television pundits,” and NPR has referred to Masters as the “Professor of Punditry.” He is currently an on-air contributor to FOX News, MSNBC and the BBC, and is a fill-in host for the nationally syndicated “Bill Press Show.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Masters graduated from St. Ambrose University with degrees in political science and mass communications.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">==</font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>