With help from Daniel Lippman

PHILLIPS’ NEXT ACT: Tim Phillips, who resigned in 2021 as the longtime head of the Koch-backed grassroots group Americans for Prosperity after an alleged extramarital affair, has reemerged as an advocate for Yemeni separatists amid talks to end the country’s long-running civil war.

— Phillips is now a managing director at Hyperfocal Communications, the firm launched last year by former Trump national field director Stuart Jolly and longtime Democratic operative Yolanda Caraway.

— The firm registered over the weekend to represent the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council, according to documents filed with the Justice Department first spotted by The New York Times’ Ken Vogel. The STC is allied with the internationally recognized central Yemeni government, which has been in the midst of negotiations with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels to end the conflict, which has long been viewed as a proxy war between Iran and its Gulf rivals like Saudi Arabia.

— The war, now in its ninth year, killed more than 150,000, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project — including more than 15,000 civilians — and plunged Yemen into a humanitarian crisis ahead of a truce between the central government and Houthis struck last year. Peace talks are now ongoing, mediated by Saudi Arabia and Oman, and the two sides agreed last month to a prisoner swap in the latest sign of progress.

— According to a readout from the White House, national security adviser Jake Sullivan “reviewed significant progress” in peace talks during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the weekend.

— Phillips, Jolly and Caraway will work to elevate the STC’s interests in Washington alongside Democratic lobbyist Brian Woolfolk, former Hillary Clinton and NFL spokesperson Traci Blunt, Lauren Gilmore and Robert Wilson as the peace talks continue — though there is no indication they will result in the break up of Yemen into two countries as sought by the STC.

— The yearlong contract is worth $1.2 million, according to a copy filed with DOJ, with $300,000 already having been paid and the other $900,000 due to Hyperfocal within the next three months, a departure from the monthly payment structure firms and foreign clients typically agree to. STC is the first foreign client for Hyperfocal, but the council also retains Independent Diplomat, to which it paid around $90,000 last year.

— “One of the reasons we wanted to be involved with the STC is because they’re the best opportunity to make sure that in Yemen as these peace talks unfold, you come up with a cohesive, unified central government that can govern the country and hopefully be a friend to the United States,” Phillips said in an interview, arguing that “if the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, end up in a dominant position in Yemen, that will definitely not be the case.”

— Part of that effort includes stressing to officials in Washington “the importance of Yemen,” Jolly said. “It’s a country in a strategic location in a precarious place,” he added to its positioning at the intersection of the highly trafficked Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. The separatists control much of Yemen’s southern coast, so “it’s in everyone’s interest that the STC is successful,” said Jolly.

Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Send lobbying tips and gossip: [email protected]. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

MEHLMAN SIGNS A16Z: Venture capital giant-turned-crypto firm Andreessen Horowitz has retained a small army of lobbyists at Mehlman Consulting to monitor crypto issues on the Hill as lawmakers forge ahead with efforts to draft new regulations for the industry.

— 18 lobbyists with the firm will work on the account, according to a disclosure filed hours before a rare joint hearing between the House Agriculture and Financial Services committees to determine which federal agencies will have oversight over various portions of the digital asset sector.

— Andreessen Horowitz registered its first in-house lobbyists — including a former aide to Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) — at the beginning of this year, and dropped $330,000 lobbying Congress and the White House on a variety of crypto issues during the first quarter, according to disclosures filed with the House.

NFL SEEKS TO WOO HILL STAFFERS AT DRAFT JUNKET: Ahead of last month’s NFL draft, the league treated nearly a dozen Hill staffers to an expenses-paid junket to go behind the scenes of the annual extravaganza — and attend sessions for the league to push its preferred messaging on a number of political issues important to business, Raw Story’s Mark Alesia reports.

— “Records from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics … showed that the league paid for high-ranking congressional staff members to travel to Kansas City, site of the draft. The league called it a ‘Government Affairs Congressional Forum,’” and attendees included Drew Sachse, an aide to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Brandon Casey, a staffer on the House Ways and Means Committee and David Brewer, a staffer on the House Judiciary Committee.

— “The congressional junket follows recent congressional investigations into various aspects of the NFL’s operations and interests, from front-office workplace culture to gambling to player concussions. According to the forum agenda reviewed by Raw Story, attendees arrived in Kansas City on the morning of April 27 and had nine sessions with various NFL executives.”

— The league hosted one session on taxpayer-financed stadiums, which “touted ‘federal-tax-exempt bonds as a tool to promote economic development at the local level that allow state and local governments low-cost financing for community economic development projects,’” a premise economists have disputed.

— Another discussed federal regulation of legal sports betting, while others touted the league’s work on player safety, tax reporting issues, diversity, ticketing reforms, drone policy and name, image and likeness policies for college players.

FLYING IN: The Energy Marketers of America, which represents marketers of motor and heating fuel products, is on the Hill today and tomorrow to discuss issues like as credit card swipe fees, the Renewable Fuel Standard, truck driver shortages, and EPA’s proposed rule on vapor balancing at gasoline bulk plants.

— During the two-day fly-in, EMA members are set to hold nearly 150 meetings including with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Reps. G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), John Joyce (R-Pa.) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.). The trade group heard today from Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.), a former energy marketer himself, during its opening session.

ANNALS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty this afternoon to a slew of federal charges including wire fraud and money laundering in connection with contributions to his House campaign, POLITICO’s Erica Orden, Julia Marsh and Olivia Beavers report. After surrendering to authorities earlier in the day, Santos was released on a $500,000 bond.

— A 13-count indictment unveiled today accused the Long Island freshman lawmaker of “fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits, using campaign contributions to pay down personal debts and purchase designer clothing, and lying to the House of Representatives about his financial condition,” my colleagues report.

— One of the key accusations from prosecutors includes a scheme in which Santos allegedly “directed a Queens-based political consultant to speak to prospective donors and ask them to donate to a limited-liability company supporting his campaign. As a result, two donors each gave $25,000, prosecutors allege.”

— “Rather than going to Santos’ political efforts, however, the money was then transferred to his personal bank accounts and eventually used for personal expenses including paying personal debts, withdrawing cash and purchasing luxury clothing, according to the indictment.”

— Santos said following his arraignment that has no plans to resign or drop his reelection bid. “I’m going to fight the witch hunt,” he said. “I’m going to take care of clearing my name.”

Jobs Report

— Vu Ritchie is joining Stephens as vice president of government relations. He was most recently chief legal counsel to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and is a Tom Cotton and Asa Hutchinson alum.

— John Lucio has joined Ervin Graves Strategy Group as senior vice president for government relations. He was most recently a staffer on the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

— Christian Borggreen is stepping down as head of CCIA Europe after nearly nine years.

— Sarah Walker is now policy and legal advocacy director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. She previously was a criminal justice and elections policy consultant.

— Tim Doyle will be director of policy communications at Amazon. He currently is vice president of communications at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

— Rob Hawkins is now head of D.C. government relations at BerlinRosen’s D.C. municipal lobbying practice. He previously was partner and chair of the D.C. government relations practice at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.

— James Broughel is joining the Competitive Enterprise Institute as a senior fellow. He previously was at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

— Molly Safreed has joined the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions to manage media relations. She previously was communications director for Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.).

— Brian Beall is now director of the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. He previously was vice president of government affairs at the Cruise Lines International Association.

— Credit Union National Association has added David Park as senior director of advocacy and counsel. He was previously senior policy and compliance officer at Navy Federal Credit Union.

— Rachel Grand has joined the Managed Funds Association as vice president and senior counsel. She was previously senior vice president and counsel at D. E. Shaw & Co.

New Joint Fundraisers

Pfriends of Pfluger (Reps. John James, Brandon Williams, Juan Ciscomani, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Jen Kiggans, Derrick Van Orden)

New PACs

Fire Ted PAC (Super PAC)

New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

Acg Advocacy: International Code Council (Icc)
Acg Advocacy: Port Hamilton Refinery And Transportation, Lllp
Actum I, LLC: National Association For Family Child Care
Actum I, LLC: Ymca USa
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Trina Solar (U.S.) Holding, Inc.
Coin Center Inc.: Coin Center Inc.
Cordone Consulting LLC: Aligned Climate Capital LLC
Cordone Consulting LLC: Summit Ridge Energy
Endgame Strategies, LLC: Unified Patents, LLC
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Kaleo
Mehlman Consulting, Inc.: Ah Capital Management, LLC (Dba Andreessen Horowitz)
Mehlman Consulting, Inc.: Giving Home Health Care
Smits Speidell Consulting: Strategics Consulting On Behalf Of City Of New Bern, Nc
The Complete Agency (Formerly Pearson & Associates, LLC): Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.
The Gallagher Group, LLC: Smt Corporation, Inc.
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: American Civil Liberties Union
Winning Strategies Washington: Ad Hoc
Winning Strategies Washington: Applied Information Sciences, Inc.
Winning Strategies Washington: B & A
Winning Strategies Washington: Buchanan - Edwards
Winning Strategies Washington: Definitive Logic
Winning Strategies Washington: Dev Technology Group, Inc.
Winning Strategies Washington: Pyramid Systems, Inc.
Winning Strategies Washington: Resource Management Concepts, Inc.

New Lobbying Terminations

Dekieffer & Horgan: Evraz North America
Fabiani & Company: Midasian Trading Fzc
Florida Citrus Mutual: Florida Citrus Mutual
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Act, Inc.
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): American Institutes For Research
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): National Council For Community & Education Partnerships (Nccep)

CORRECTION: A previous version of this newsletter misstated whether Andreessen Horowitz filed its first quarter lobbying report. It has filed its disclosures.

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