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| Brian Symmes |
Brian Symmes, who was deputy chief of staff for communications for South Carolina governor Henry McMaster has joined McGuireWoods Consulting.
He began his career as deputy press secretary for then-SC governor Nikki Haley in 2013 and took over the communications team when McMaster took the reins at the Palmetto State.
Symmes was McMaster’s chief spokesperson and primary contact for cabinet agency directors and public information officers looking for media relations guidance.
He also led crisis communications during natural disasters (hurricanes and floods) and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jim Hodges, ex-SC governor and MWC president, called Symmes “a skilled communicator and problem solver” with extensive relationships with state’s business, political and government leaders.
MWC’s SC office is in Columbia.
Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company banned by Defense Secretary Hegseth, has hired Ballard Partners for DC representation.
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development enrolls Venable for government relations services.
Coinbase has hired Checkmate Government Relations, which has close ties to the Trump administration, to handle matters related to digital assets as the Senate works on the Clarity Act.
Peter Thiel-backed Palantir Technologies has added Democratic firm Ferox Strategies to its DC lobbying line-up to handle data analytics and technology issues.
Former congressmen Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Jeff Denham (R-CA) have signed on to handle the “new” TikTok on issues related to internet technology and learning-enabled platforms.
