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Ballard Partners represents Nippon Steel as the Japanese giant fights to clinch its $14B deal to acquire US Steel in wake of political opposition from the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns.
US Steel chief David Burritt said Sept. 4 that he would have to close plants and move its headquarters from Pittsburgh, if the Nippon deal falls apart.
Ballard Partners, which has close ties to Trump, signed on with Nippon on April 7 as a subcontractor to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Brian Ballard, who was a top Trump fundraiser in Florida, heads his firm’s effort.
He is joined by Hunter Morgen, deputy director in the Office of Trade & Manufacturing in the Trump administration; Daniel McFaul, chief of staff to Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz; and Tola Thompson, aide to Florida Rep. Carrie Meek.
Ballard received $70K in fees for its work during the second quarter.
The firm also represents Japan’s DC Embassy. That relationship began last April and has been worth $300K in fees for the Florida-headquartered shop.
Akin Gump, which signed Nippon as a client on Dec. 23, 2023, has received $1M for its efforts.
It also uses VOX Global and Valiant Strategies as Nippon subcontractors.
VOX has received $60K in fees for work that is headed by James Baril, who was an aide to Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Former Texas Democratic Congressman Filemon Vela formed Valiant in March. The former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee resigned from Congress in 2022 for a partnership at Akin Gump.
Valiant, which began its work for Nippon on April 1, got a $30K Q2 fee.
Hikvision USA, which is the subsidiary of the world’s largest maker of surveillance equipment, has extended BCW’s contract from July 1 to yearend.
Turkcell, which is Turkey’s leading mobile phone operator, has hired the Signal Group for media relations duties.
Edelman is providing strategic communications services and handling events for Alterra Management Ltd, the $30B climate-focused investment fund launched by the United Arab Emirates.
Mercury has landed a $900K one-year pact to represent Gecamines, the cobalt and copper mining giant that is owned by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest telecommunications network, which suffered a massive Russian cyberattack in December, has hired FTI Government Affairs for representation in Washington.
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Sep. 4, 2024, by Bill Huey, Strategic Communications
Foreign interests like Nippon Steel seeking to acquire a strategic asset such as US Streel can always find a sympathetic ear in Washington. Those who advocate free trade overlook the strategic nature of the deal. What if a Chinese firm wanted to acquire Chevron or ExxonMobil?