Podesta steps down from lobbying firm, 'Podesta Group' will change it's name in effort to re-brand

In Washington D.C., people like power. They pretend they're in town to "serve" and "do the people's business" but really, they're there to line their pockets, enhance their post-office consulting fees, and savor the best scotch at all the right cocktail parties. There may be a few politicians (looking at you Paul, Cruz, and Amash) out there who actually vote their conscience and try to do the right thing but, by and large, pretty much all of them are in it for themselves. When I was a child, I thought that attitude was cynical. That was a long time ago. These days I'm 100% certain that this is the only realistic lens through which you should ever view a career pol. They are in office to absorb power, access to power, and the money that comes with it.

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What they don't want to attract is "uncomfortable attention." Anything that gets in the way of their despicable accumulation of lucre is a problem. Investigations are a problem. They're a nuisance and they make things difficult for the good ol' boys club. That's particularly true if you're a lobbyist and your entire worth is wrapped up in your ability to cozy up to Washington's movers and shakers. That's probably why Tony Podesta - whose lobbying firm is likely "company B" in the Manafort indictments - is abandoning his post. From the Politico:

Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. Podesta’s decision to leave the firm came on the same day that former Donald Trump campaign aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted on multiple charges, including money laundering, operating as federal agents of the Ukrainian government, failing to disclose overseas bank accounts and making false statements to federal authorities. Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier this month for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, according to court records.

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The investigation into Podesta and his firm grew out of investigators’ examination of Manafort’s finances. Manafort organized a PR campaign on behalf of a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Podesta Group was one of several firms that were paid to do work on the PR campaign to promote Ukraine in the U.S.

Podesta is the brother of Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, who was infamously savaged by the content of his leaked emails. However, the departure of Tony Podesta isn't the end of the road for the "Podesta Group." There's still money on the table and, as mentioned above, people in D.C. love money. So, they're going to change their name and hope everyone forgets about their former figurehead.

NEW: @PodestaGroup partners, in effort to staunch client exodus, plan to relaunch firm without "Podesta" in the name https://t.co/OhBGoeL3fR

— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 31, 2017

Don't worry, "lobbying group formerly known as the Podesta Group." We'll make sure everyone knows your new name once you choose it. Maybe you should just go with "Company B." After all, if NBC is correct, that's already been selected for you by the feds.

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