April 20, 2023

Pentagon leaks suggest the UAE’s Russia ties may go beyond “spirit of mediation” touted by U.S. lobbyists

Foreign agents registered to lobby on behalf of the United Arab Emirates sought to assuage concerns about the Gulf nation’s relationship with Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act disclosures filed with the Justice Department.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wall Street firm employees, big bank PACs and several prominent Republicans during the first three months of 2023, according to new campaign finance disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced his reelection campaign Monday, ending speculation over whether the embattled congressman would run again after reports that he fabricated his resume and misled voters. But Santos faces an uphill fundraising battle, as his congressional campaign reported losing money during the first three months of 2023.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced last week that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2024 presidential election. If he decides to run, he will be the fourth prominent Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump in the primary, joining fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

Sen. Durbin invites Roberts to testify on Supreme Court ethics amid Thomas revelations (The Washington Post)

Thomas also had reported receiving only two gifts since 2004, according to a Post review of his financial disclosure forms posted online by nonprofit groups Fix the Court and OpenSecrets.

For Saner Politics, Try Stronger Parties (WSJ)

Data compiled by the nonpartisan OpenSecrets.org illustrate the trend. Over the last 20 years, spending by party organizations has risen 24%, to $2.5 billion per two-year election cycle. Over the same period of time, spending by outside groups has shot up 70-fold, from $27.7 million in 2002 to just under $2 billion in the 2022 cycle. The once-enormous gap between party spending and outside spending is disappearing.

Top Republican donor sours on Florida governor’s stance on social issues (Financial Times)

Peterffy, who founded digital trading platform Interactive Brokers, has long been a top Republican donor. In 2022, he gave $7.7mn to individual Republicans’ campaigns and to conservative political action committees, up from $7.2mn in 2020, according to OpenSecrets campaign finance data.

CNBC

Pittsburg Post-Gazette

The Hill

RawStory

Newsweek

Forbes

SF GATE

Business Insider

Reuters

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