Avenue Strategies, the D.C. political consulting and lobbying firm formed by veteran Republican strategist Barry Bennett and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, has been hired by the Bank of Beirut to improve the image of Lebanon’s banking system in Washington.
A financial hub of banking activities throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, Lebanon has come under fire in recent years for harboring a financial climate that the U.S. State Department has characterized as facing “significant money laundering and terrorism financing challenges,” where Beirut’s banks are often used to launder funds from foreign organized crime groups as well as terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.
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According to lobbying registration documents filed in June, the Bank of Beirut has hired Avenue Strategies for the purpose of educating Capitol Hill on the Lebanese financial sector.
That Lebanese commercial bank, which was founded in 1963, operates nearly 100 branches across the Middle East, Australia, Europe and Africa. In 2015, it was fined £2.1 million (about $3.2 million) in the UK after Britain’s financial authority determined the Bank of Beirut had misled regulators regarding its efforts to hamper money laundering activities.
Beirut-based Al-Mawarid Bank, professional trade group the Association of Banks in Lebanon and Lebanon’s central bank, Banque du Liban, all signed similar image-building pacts several years ago with lobbying powerhouses such as Squire Patton Boggs and DLA Piper, after the U.S. Treasury Dept. accused the Lebanese Canadian Bank of channeling funds to Hezbollah. A $102 million settlement between LCB and the U.S. Justice Department was reached in 2013.
Barry Bennett manages the Bank of Beirut account. He was formerly chief of staff to Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) and communications director to the G8 Summit under President George W. Bush. He has also founded super PACs for Rick Perry and for the Senate campaigns for Liz Cheney and Rob Portman. Most recently, Bennett served as a senior advisor to the Trump election campaign. Prior to that, he managed Dr. Ben Carson’s presidential run.
Avenue Strategies, which was founded in December, counts Citgo Petroleum Corporation, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Community Choice Financial and the government of Puerto Rico as clients. The firm also runs a super PAC to aid Trump’s 2020 re-election.
Corey Lewandowski left the firm in May.
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