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Podesta Group

Podesta Group, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryGovernment and public relations
Founded1988 (1988)
Founders
Defunct2017
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Key people
Kimberley Fritts (CEO)
Number of employees
70[citation needed]
Websitewww.podesta.com
Congressman Adam Schiff and lobbyist Heather Podesta at a party hosted by the Podesta Group in Washington, D.C.

The Podesta Group was a lobbying and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1988 by brothers John and Tony Podesta and has previously been known as Podesta Associates, podesta.com and PodestaMattoon.[1][2] John Podesta left the firm in 1993,[3] and Tony Podesta left the firm on October 30, 2017, after finding out about increased scrutiny of the firm.[4] It has essentially ceased to exist since then. The firm reorganized in January 2007 after chairman Tony Podesta split with former business partner Dan Mattoon.[2]

Podesta Group, which represented American corporations as well as nonprofits and governments, was said in 2011 to have "close ties to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration",[5] although its CEO, Kimberley Fritts, is identified in her Cogent Strategies bio as "a fixture in Republican politics".[6] She resigned and established her own firm, Cogent Strategies, in November 2017.[citation needed]

The firm reported earning US$27.4 million in lobbying fees in 2011.[7] In 2007, Chairman Tony Podesta was ranked by his peers as the third most influential lobbyist in Washington.[8]

On November 9, 2017, CEO Kimberley Fritts informed all employees that the Podesta Group would cease to exist at the end of the year. Employees were asked to clear out their desks and told that they might not be paid beyond November 15. On November 21, Podesta Group's website went offline, redirecting to the personal website of Tony Podesta,[9] with the majority of the Podesta Group’s former principals having joined Cogent Strategies.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ Pear, Robert; Broder, John M. (September 5, 2000). "In a Lobby-Happy Washington, Politics Can Be Even Thicker Than Blood". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Sarasohn, Judy (November 2, 2006). "PodestaMattoon by Any Other Name..." The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  3. ^ "Podesta, John: Employment History". OpenSecrets.
  4. ^ Palmer, Anna. "Tony Podesta Stepping Down from Lobbying Giant amid Mueller Probe". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  5. ^ Elliott, Justin (January 28, 2011). "Who's Doing Mubarak's Bidding in Washington?". Salon. San Francisco, California. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kimberley Fritts". Cogent Strategies. cogent-strategies.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  7. ^ Bogardus, Kevin; Leven, Rachel (January 20, 2012). "On K Street, 2011 Was Year to Forget". The Hill. Washington: Capitol Hill Publishing. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  8. ^ Eisler, Kim (June 1, 2007). "Hired Guns: The City's 50 Top Lobbyists". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  9. ^ "Home". podesta.com.
  10. ^ "Home". cogent-strategies.com.
  11. ^ Polantz, Katelyn (November 11, 2017). "Podesta Group on the verge of shuttering amid ties to Mueller probe". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Meyer, Theodoric (November 21, 2017). "Former Podesta Group principal joins BGR". Politico. US. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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