Two lobbying firms that have made headlines recently for their proximity to President Donald Trump’s inner circle have a history of selling that access to foreigners looking to make money or, in some cases, to alter American policy.
Ballard Partners and Mercury Public Affairs, outfits viewed in Washington, D.C., as having some of the closest ties to the president, both rapidly accepted new foreign clients in the wake of Trump’s commanding victory. Public and private entities located in countries including China, Germany, France, India, and Ukraine have all flocked to the pair of lobbying shops in recent months, in some cases throwing around massive sums of money in the hopes of winning influence over the United States, according to a Washington Examiner review of public records.
