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Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company banned by Defense Secretary Hegseth, has hired Ballard Partners for DC representation.
Ballard, which has close ties with the Trump administration, is focused on Defense Department procurement matters.
Hegseth banned DoD from using Anthropic’s technology after he declared it a supply chain risk to national security. The president then ordered every federal agency to drop the San Francisco-based firm.
The Washington Post ran an editorial on April 12 headlined “The U.S. military is missing out because of Hegseth’s war on Anthropic.” It said Anthropic’s new Mythos model can detect critical software flaws, but the Pentagon is barring itself from using it.
The editorial noted that China is using AI to break into American systems, and that Anthropic has the best tool available to find vulnerabilities before Beijing’s hackers can.
“But the U.S. military is systematically removing Anthropic software from its systems, with a six-month transition period,” noted WaPo. “It’s one thing to fight with one arm tied behind your back. It’s another to have tied it yourself.”
Brian Ballard heads his firm’s Anthropic team, which includes Micah Ketchel, who served in second Trump White House as a special advisor to the National Security Council.
Ballard Partners has signed on gunmaker Sturm, Ruger & Co to advocate on behalf of Second Amendment issues.
Sakura Conservation Strategies has registered Japanese American Confinement Sites Consortium as a client.
Sachs Media has signed on to represent the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund to advocate for public policies proven to reduce tobacco use, which is the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the US and the rest of the world.
FGS Global is providing DC representation for JetBlue Airways on issues related to air traffic control modernization, airport slot management, and support for the aviation industry.
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development enrolls Venable for government relations services.
