This press release was originally posted through Western Values Project. Western Values Project is now Accountable.US.

Politically-Connected Firm that Used to Employ Trump’s Interior Sec. Secured At Least 17 New Clients Seeking COVID-19 Bailouts

New research released today by Western Values Project finds that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s former lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (BHFS) is cashing in on the coronavirus pandemic. BHFS has reported a huge uptick in business from clients seeking COVID-19 bailouts from the Trump administration, gaining 17 new clients in recent weeks, including a Trump-connected mortgage company. 

While the average American suffers, industry lobbyists are using the coronavirus pandemic to squeeze all they can out of the Trump administration,” said Western Values Project Director Jayson O’Neill. “Even in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, this administration is making sure K Street is better taken care of than Main Street. Trump and his special interest allies are just enriching the swamp that he once promised to drain.” 

One of BHFS’ new clients seeking to lobby the government on the COVID-19 response is Colony Capital, a real estate investment firm run by Tom Barrack, a “longtime friend” of Trump’s. Barrack wants Congress to provide “‘$500 billion to the Secretary of the Treasury to support programs or facilities for the purpose of providing liquidity to the financial system.’” 

Benefitting from Trump allies and administration actions is nothing new for the politically well-connected lobbying firm; since Trump’s election, BHFS has enjoyed increased business from lobbying clients seeking to influence the administration. And after former BHFS partner and mega-lobbyist David Bernhardt became Deputy Secretary of the Interior, BHFS’ business lobbying the Interior Department quadrupled

Although BHFS has been getting rich from coronavirus-related business, the firm also represents the nation of Saudi Arabia, whose recent actions launching an oil price war have exacerbated the financial crisis US oil producers are facing. The Huffington Post reports that BHFS “has earned millions from both major U.S. oil interests backed by Trump and their Saudi rivals.” 

Learn more about the special interests fueling the Trump administration at Accountable.US and ongoing efforts to carve out more big oil, coal, and mining bailouts at WesternValuesProject.org.

The Politically-Connected Lobbying Firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Reports A Huge Uptick In Business From Clients Seeking COVID-19 Bailouts


BHFS Reports 21 New Clients Of Which 17 Are Seeking COVID-19 Bailouts –Including The Mortgage Company Of A Friend Of Donald Trump’s

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (BHFS) Is A Well-Connected DC Lobbying Firm Whose Former Partner, David Bernhardt, Is Now A Member Of Donald Trump’s Cabinet. “Before becoming acting secretary, Bernhardt spent about eight years as a partner in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, one of the nation’s top-grossing law and lobbying firms, according to public rankings. There he represented energy, mining and Western water interests that deal with the Interior Department, including two California entities, Westlands Water District — the nation’s largest irrigation district — and Cadiz Inc.” [LA Times, 04/11/19]

Throughout The Trump Administration, BHFS Has Enjoyed Increased Business From Lobbying Clients Seeking Influence In Trump’s Government. “Business has blossomed at Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s former law and lobbying firm in the 31 months since he was first nominated to a Trump administration post, a new study by an environmental group shows. Thirty-six clients have paid Denver-based firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP a total of $11.96 million to lobby the Interior Department, the study found, including 19 clients that hired the company after Bernhardt’s initial nomination in April 2017.” [E&E, 12/18/19]

  • BHFS’s Business Lobbying The Interior Department Quadrupled After Bernhardt’s Appointment. “Over the past three years, according to federal records, acting interior secretary David Bernhardt’s former firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has quadrupled its business related to Interior. In 2018, two dozen clients paid BHFS a total of $4.8 million to lobby Interior, according to data compiled from a lobbying database maintained by the Senate. During the previous year, when Bernhardt left the firm to join the Trump administration as deputy secretary, it collected a total of $3.5 million in Interior-related revenue.” [Washington Post, 04/03/19]

BHFS Is Among The Lobbying Firms Reporting An Uptick In New, Covid-19-Related Business. “Business has boomed on K Street since the coronavirus outbreak, with lobbying firms bringing in more than 100 new clients to work on congressional relief efforts and issues tied to Covid-19. […] Of 104 new coronavirus-related contracts identified, the actual number is likely much higher, as firms have up to 45 days after signing a client to file paperwork. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck reported signing 14 new clients since the beginning of March. Nine, including the National Retail Federation and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, listed Covid-19 relief measures as the only issue on the agenda.” [Bloomberg Government, 04/08/20]

BHFS Reports At Least 17 New Clients In “Recent Weeks.” “The law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has started lobbying on coronavirus-related issues for 17 new clients in recent weeks, according to the firm. The firm’s new clients include the National Retail Federation, Tenet Healthcare (which also brought on the Carmen Group), the casino company Wynn Resorts, the private equity firm Searchlight Capital and Tom Barrack’s Colony Capital.” [Politico, 04/09/20]

One Of The New BHFS Clients Is Colony Capital, A Firm Run By Trump Ally Tom Barrack. “One of President Donald Trump’s closest allies hired a top lobbying firm to advise on challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. Colony Capital, a real estate investment firm run by Tom Barrack, recently hired lobbyists from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to focus on ‘issues related to COVID-19 relief packages,’ according to a lobbying disclosure report first reviewed by CNBC.” [CNBC, 04/07/20]

Barrack Is Concerned That The Commercial Mortgage Market Is “In Free Fall.” “Barrack, who has been a longtime friend of the president, published a Medium post on March 22 warning the administration and Congress that commercial mortgage market is in free fall in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has damaged the U.S. economy.  Barrack hired the lobbyists from Brownstein to act as advisors for guidance on, not just the points he made in the post from two weeks ago, but counsel for when he speaks publicly and writes future papers on how the federal government should handle what he has publicly deemed a liquidity crisis that was brought on by the coronavirus, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.” [CNBC, 04/07/20]

  • Barrack Wants Congress To Give A $500 Billion Bailout To The Mortgage Loan Industry. “Barrack said in his post that high-performing mortgage loans were in the process of a ‘meltdown’ and they were on the ‘brink of collapse’ due to the impact of the virus. Barrack’s company is known as a real estate investment trust and would be involved with these types of loans. Barrack made what he called ‘suggestions’ to the Trump administration, Congress and other government entities for how to solve this problem. One way, Barrack said at the time, was to ‘encourage Congress to provide an amount up to $500 billion to the Secretary of the Treasury to support programs or facilities for the purpose of providing liquidity to the financial system’ he wrote. The Colony Capital CEO said in an interview Monday that he wasn’t too optimistic about his chances of seeing aid being given to the commercial mortgage market if there is another round of economic stimulus.  ‘We’re fighting politics,’ he told Bloomberg News. ‘In an election year, nobody wants to be viewed as bailing out over-leveraged industries — even if that’s not what is happening.’” [CNBC, 04/07/20]
BHFS Filed 15 Other New Lobbying Registrations The Week Ending On April 12, 2020. Nearly All Are For Clients Seeking COVID-19 Bailouts 

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Century 21 Stores On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration,04/08/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Carlson Travel, Inc. On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Cars.com On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Colony Capital Inc., An Investment Firm, On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages. [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Envision Healthcare On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Of Behalf Marshfield Clinic Health Systems On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of The National Retail Federation On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Legislation.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of PureStar Group On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration,04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Santa Cruz Healthcare On “Issues Related To Nutrition Supplements .” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Searchlight Capital Partners On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of The Textile Rental Services Association On “Issues Related To The Rental, Sale, And Lease Of Textiles.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana On “CARES Act And Issues Related To COVID-19 Response.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Ubicquia On “Cellular Network Issues.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20]

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of US Travel Insurance Association On “Issues Related To Travel Insurance.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of William Hill US On “Issues Related To Sports Betting.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/07/20

BHFS Filed 6 New Lobbying Registrations Between April 12 And April 28, 2020

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Amp Robotics On “Issues Related To Recycling Technology.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/27/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Gogo, Inc. On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/27/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of McWhinney Real Estate Services, Inc. On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/27/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of One Call Corporation On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages; Tele-Medicine.” [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/27/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Route 66 Ventures On “Issues Related To Payment Protection Plan Lending.” It is likely that this is a filing error and that BHFS is actually lobbying on the Paycheck Protection Plan. [BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/27/20

BHFS Registered To Lobby On Behalf Of Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc. On “Issues Related To COVID-19 Relief Packages.”[BHFS Lobbying Registration, 04/16/20]

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