Podesta Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Government and public relations |
Founded | 1988; 36 years ago (1988) |
Founders | |
Defunct | 2017 |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Key people | Kimberley Fritts (CEO) |
Number of employees | 70[citation needed] |
Website | www |
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]