To understand the priorities of a politician, one can find some insight into who donates money to them. For the most part, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has been getting the normal donations from people. Including the relevant lobbying firms. Taking that into account, people need to know who these lobbying companies represent to be able to know what they are trying to get politicians to do. While it could be friendship that led to the donation, these are still people who have an ear to the person they donate to.
The Trail
While researching political donations marked for the Speaker, there was a small donation from Larry Meyers. He is listed on federal forms as working for Meyers & Associates, with the donation being on June 30, 2023. This company was merged with Hance Scarborough LLP at the beginning of 2021, which makes one wonder why this was what was listed, instead of the current company.
Larry Meyers
Here, via the Hance Scarborough website, is who Larry Meyers is.
“Larry Meyers has over 35 years of experience since coming to Washington with then Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. After four years with the senator, serving as legislative director, he received an appointment in the Carter Administration being named Director for Congressional Affairs – U.S. Department of Agriculture, responsible for both USDA and White House lobbying activities. He began independent consulting in 1981, and in 1989 was named by Beacham’s Guide to Key Lobbyists as one of the top 125 lobbyists in Washington. For 15 years, he served as guest lecturer at the National Defense University on the topic of “Lobbyists and Lobbying in the U.S. Capitol.” Mr. Meyers also served for twelve years on the Board of Directors of Washington First Bank before it was successfully sold to Sandy Spring Bank. He continues to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Texas State Aquarium, the Board of Trustees for the Leland Seminary and is active with the Boy Scouts of America. He resides with his wife Kris in Alexandria, Virginia and is a graduate of Texas Tech University.”
Here, from the same site, is the information about the merger.
“Meyers & Associates, led by Larry Meyers, will join the D.C. office of the Austin-based law and lobbying firm Hance Scarborough, founded by former Rep. Kent Hance (R-Texas). Meyers and Hance go back decades, dating to when Meyers took Hance’s business law course at Texas Tech University and worked on Hance’s early campaigns. Meyers will be bringing all of its clients, which include the Port of Corpus Christi and the American Beekeeping Association, to Hance Scarborough. “At a time when the pandemic is causing disruption and challenge for all of us, this merger creates a great opportunity for both our firms and our clients,’’ Meyers said in a statement.”
Client List
While most of the list of clients for Hance Scarborough are the normal fare, there are a few that have been listed that should make one wonder what influence for them is being brought to Johnson. Here, via Open Secrets, is some of that client list. What follows is some clarification on some of their more interesting clients.
Boehringer Ingelheim
Here, via Wikipedia, is perhaps the best short biography of this company.
“C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG is the parent company of the Boehringer Ingelheim group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer (1861–1939) in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, and the largest private one. Headquartered in Ingelheim, it operates globally with 146 affiliates and more than 47,700 employees. Unlike most large pharmaceutical companies which are listed, the company is private and fully owned by the Boehringer, Liebrecht and von Baumbach families. The company's key areas of interest are: respiratory diseases, metabolism, immunology, oncology and diseases of the central nervous system. Boehringer Ingelheim is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The corporate logo of Boehringer Ingelheim depicts a stylized rendition of the central section of the imperial palace of Charlemagne.”
Here is just a small sampling of their time in court.
“In October 2012 Boehringer Ingelheim settled a "qui tam" (whistleblower) case with the U.S. government for $95 million alleging "off-label" marketing of the drugs Aggrenox, Atrovent, Combivent, and Micardis for uses that weren't approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and were not covered by federal health care programs.”
“In August 2012, Pradaxa claims filed in the federal court were consolidated in a multi-district litigation in the Southern District of Illinois before Chief Judge David R. Herndon. On 28 May 2014, a $650 million settlement was announced on behalf of approximately 3,900 claimants who were injured by the drug Pradaxa made by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The drug is alleged to cause severe bleeding events and/or hemorrhaging to those who were taking the drug.”
“In October 2023 Boehringer Ingelheim was ordered to pay a 10 million Euro fine for illegal price fixing that had gone on globally over a period of nearly fifteen years. Boehringer bears the largest share of an antitrust fine totaling € 13.4 million. Anyone affected by its anti-competitive behavior may claim damages, competition regulators stressed.”
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
While PhRMA is a massive organization, they do not use Hance Scarborough as they do with other lobbyists. They have them in case they need a better angle to someone they want to reach. Here, via their own page, is what they say they do.
“We strive to conduct effective advocacy for public policies that encourage the discovery of important, new medicines for patients by biopharmaceutical research companies. To accomplish this mission, we’re dedicated to working with everyone in Washington, DC, and across the country.”
This group has been around since 1958 and is a trade association. Every major pharmaceutical company has some connection to them, which should show how powerful they are.
Hyuk Kee Yoo
Here, via Courthouse New Service, is who Yoo is and why it is interesting his cause could be championed to the now Speaker.
“A South Korean businessman who has made his home in the tony town of Pound Ridge, New York, before his arrest in 2020 asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to block his extradition to his home country where he claims he will face an unfair trial.”
“Hyuk Kee Yoo — who also goes by his English name, Keith Yoo — is wanted in South Korea on embezzlement charges related to his family’s business empire.”
“As laid out in Yoo's application for emergency relief, the government's complaint accuses him of embezzling some $23 million between January 2008 and March 2014. The warrant for Yoo's arrest was signed in May 2014, as South Korean authorities tried to tie his family's business empire to the holding company behind a ferry that capsized in April, killing more than 300 people.”
These clients, with a potential avenue to the Speaker of the House, are an interesting group from just one of the people who donate to Mike Johnson. Several other people and companies will be discussed in later articles, but this makes one wonder what voices are being heard by Johnson, his constituents and taxpayers, or major clients from lobbying firms.
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