Big Oil and Auto Industries Take the Wheel
By Rick Claypool
“Not in our wildest dreams, never did we expect to get everything,” a seemingly giddy Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, an oil and gas industry group, told the New York Times in early 2017.
Sgamma’s apparent incredulity at the Environmental Protection Agency’s pro-polluter posture in the Trump administration’s early days highlights how corporate interests “get everything” under President Trump. While this stance may have been a surprise a year ago, it is now par for the course in Donald Trump’s Washington. The corporate insiders with whom Trump has staffed his administration are doing the industry’s bidding from within.
Read Public Citizen’s new report, “Corporate Oil and Auto Insiders Fuel Trump Policies.”
A Public Citizen review found 77 high-ranking positions have been filled with industry lobbyists, lawyers, former employees and others with oil and/or auto industry conflicts — 52 with oil and gas ties, 15 with auto ties and ten with ties to both. (For the list of the Trump administration’s auto and oil industry insiders, see the table below.) The actual total is undoubtedly higher. The list includes staffers who are currently serving in the administration (59) as well as those who are awaiting Senate confirmation (9) and those who have departed from the administration (9).
These industries also have poured money into influencing elections — both spent more than ever before during the 2016 elections. The auto industry contributed nearly $40 million toward electing or defeating candidates in the 2016 elections, and the oil and gas industry spent more than $100 million.
After Trump was elected, the oil and gas industry contributed nearly $7 million toward Trump’s inauguration, while General Motors and Ford Motor Company each respectively gave nearly $500,000 and $250,000.
The Trump administration refuses to release official White House visitor logs. But Politico’s unofficial record of presidential meetings (supplemented with more recent White House press information) reveals that Trump has held in-person meetings with eight Big Oil executives and representatives and 28 auto industry executives and representatives. (For the full list, download the report.)
Meetings between corporate CEOs and the White House are just the tip of the lobbying iceberg. In 2017, the auto industry spent $70 million on lobbying in Washington. The oil and gas industry spent $126 million.
Servants of industry may keep faking surprise when the corporations they represent receive policy favors. For all of Trump’s talk of “draining the swamp” and embodying the “voice” of the “forgotten men and women,” there should be no surprise when this corporate president continues to serve his core constituency: the corporate class.
For more about the influence of corporate polluters on the administration, see other recent reports from Public Citizen’s Corporate Presidency Project: “The Koch Government,” “Big Law, Big Conflicts,” and “This Trump Official Now Regulates Oil and Gas Companies Who Showered Him With Campaign Contributions.”
| Name | Administration Title | Administration/Agency | Conflicts | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Baiocco | Commissioner | Consumer Product Safety Commission | Provided legal services to Volkswagen | Auto |
| Dana White | Special Assistant | Defense | Worked in communications with Nissan North American INC | Auto |
| Sally Donnelly | Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense | Defense | Consulting for General Motors | Auto |
| David Harlow | Senior Counsel to the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation | Environmental Protection Agency | Provide legal advice and services to Chevron. | Auto |
| Matthew Z. Leopold | General Counsel | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal services to Ford Motor Company. | Auto |
| Timothy James Petty | Senior Counsel | Housing and Urban Development | Performed legal services for Daimler AG while a client of Gibbons P.C. | Auto |
| William J. Emanuel | Board Member | Labor (National Labor Relations Board) | Provided legal services for Nissan North America | Auto |
| Kristan King Nevins | Deputy Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff to Karen Pence | Office of the Vice President | Provided general advising on national security topics (client of SBD Advisors) to General Motors. | Auto |
| Jay Clayton | Chairman | Securities and Exchange Commission | Provided legal services to Volkswagen while at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP | Auto |
| David Christian Tryon | Chief Counsel for Advocacy | Small Business Administration | Provited litigation services for Ohio Auto Loan Services, LLC | Auto |
| Marianne McInerney | Assistant to the Secretary and Director of Public Affairs | Transportation | Was president of American International Automobile Dealers (a trade group representing car dealers) and former executive at hybrid and electric car companies. | Auto |
| Jeffrey Gerrish | Deputy U.S. Trade Representative | U.S. Trade Representative | Provided legal services to Daimler AG. | Auto |
| Emma Doyle | Senior Advisor | White House Office of Management and Budget | Lobbied for Ford Motor Company from 2014 to 2016 | Auto |
| Jim Carroll | Deputy Director | White House Office of National Drug Control Policy | Washington counsel/attorney for Ford Motor Company, for more than 10 years. Also an official in the GW Bush administration. | Auto |
| Jeff Rosen | Deputy Secretary | Transportation | Represented General Motors, Hyundai and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce though work at firm Kirkland & Ellis. | Auto |
| David Fotouhi | Deputy General Counsel | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal Services to Daimler AG and Tesoro Corporation (now Andreavor, a petroleum company). | Both |
| Patrick Traylor | Deputy Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal services to American Petroleum Institute, Koch Minerals and Daimler Trucks North America | Both |
| Brian Allen Benczkowski | Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division | Justice | As a partner with Kirkland & Ellis, provided legal services to BP and Volkswagen. | Both |
| Jeffrey Bossert Clark | Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division | Justice | At Kirkland & Ellis LLP, provided legal services to BP America, Volkswagen Group of America, General Motors and Mitsubishi Motors | Both |
| David Richard Dorey | Counsel | Labor | As counsel with O'Melveny & Myers LLP, provided legal services to Exxon-Mobil and Ford Motor Company | Both |
| Jon Huntsman Jr. | Ambassador, Russia | State | Serve as a board member for Chevron and Ford Motor Company | Both |
| Brent James McIntosh | General Counsel | Treasury | As a lawer for Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, provided legal services to BP and Volkswagen | Both |
| Heath P. Tarbert | Assistant Secretary for International Markets and Development | Treasury | Provided legal services to ExxonMobil Iraq Services and General Motors | Both |
| John Eisenberg | Deputy Assistant to the President, NSC Legal Advisor, and Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs, National Security Council | White House | At Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, provided legal services to BP America and General Motors | Both |
| Lance Leggitt | Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy | White House | As a lobbyist, represented BP America and General Motors, as well as other corporations including Abbott Laboratories, Boeing, and Honeywell. | Both |
| Randall G. Schriver | Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs | Defense | Provided consulting services for AI to Mitsubishi Corporation | Oil & Gas |
| Evelyn Joan Stauffer | Confidential Assistant, Office of Communications and Outreach | Education | Was public policy coordinator for Koch Industries | Oil & Gas |
| Alexander Nicholas Fitzsimmons | Senior Advisor, Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability | Energy | Director of Communications for Fueling U.S. Forward and director of policy for Institute for Energy Research, both Koch-funded groups. | Oil & Gas |
| Daniel Simmons | Assistant to the Secretary, Office of the Secretary | Energy | Was VP for Policy at the Koch-funded Institute for Energy Research | Oil & Gas |
| Paul Dabbar | Under Secretary for Science | Energy | Provided advice to TransCanada Corp on purchasing or selling companies | Oil & Gas |
| Rick Perry | Secretary of Energy | Energy | Was a board member for Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners | Oil & Gas |
| Travis Scott Fisher | Assistant to the Secretary, Office Of The Secretary | Energy | Economist for Institute for Energy Research, an oil & gas industry-backed group | Oil & Gas |
| George Fibbe | Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, Regulation & Enforcement | Energy | Was litigation team manager for BHP Billiton, an oil and gas company. | Oil & Gas |
| Linda Capuano | Administrator of the Energy Information Administration | Energy | Former officer and vice president at Marathon Oil Corp., among other corporate executive and energy industry positions. | Oil & Gas |
| Erik Baptist | Senior Deputy General Counsel | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal counsel to American Petroleum Institute | Oil & Gas |
| Madeline Morris | Executive Scheduler for the Office of the Administrator | Environmental Protection Agency | Was federal affairs specialist for Koch Companies Public Sector | Oil & Gas |
| Marcella Burke | Deputy General Counsel | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal services to Diamondback Energy, Noble Energy and Sandridge Energy. | Oil & Gas |
| Scott Pruitt | Administrator | Environmental Protection Agency | As Oklahoma Attorney General, coordinated with oil and gas industry on efforts to roll back environmental protections. | Oil & Gas |
| Troy Lyons | Associate Administrator for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations | Environmental Protection Agency | Former director of communications and external affairs for BP America and manager of government affairs and HessPAC for Hess Corporation. Lobbied for BP 2012-2015 and Hess 2015-2017. | Oil & Gas |
| William L. Wehrum | Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation | Environmental Protection Agency | Provided legal services for Koch Industries, American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers | Oil & Gas |
| Dennis Lee Forsgren | Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water | Environmental Protection Agency | Was legal and policy advisor for HBW Resources, which staffed an advocacy group working on behalf of the Dakota Access Pipeline and offshore drilling projects | Oil & Gas |
| Samantha Dravis | Associate Administrator, EPA's Office of Policy | Environmental Protection Agency | Was president and provided legal services for Rule of Law Defense Fund, a group partly funded by the Koch brothers that coordinated efforts by energy companies and Republican attorneys general to challenge Obama-era environmental rules. Also was counsel to Freedom Partners. | Oil & Gas |
| Kevin J. McIntyre | Member | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | Provided legal services to EDF Energy Services LLC and Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. | Oil & Gas |
| Richard William Beckler | General Counsel | General Services Administration | Provided legal services to Conoco Philips and Halliburton | Oil & Gas |
| Lowell Jacob Schiller | Senior Counselor to the Commissioner | Health and Human Services | Provided legal services to American Petrolem Institute as a client of Sidley Austin, LLP | Oil & Gas |
| Matthew Lloyd | Special Assistant | Health and Human Services | Was Koch Industries communications director - planned, executed and advised corporate executives and counsel on communications strategy. | Oil & Gas |
| James Reilly | Director of the U.S. Geological Survey | Interior | A former astronaut who previously was an oil and gas exploration geologist with Enserch Exploration | Oil & Gas |
| Daniel Fisher | Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant | Interior | Lobbied for American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, and Aeronautical Repair station Association on Taxes, aviation regulation, labor, and energy (Keystone pipeline) from 2009-2017. | Oil & Gas |
| David L. Bernhardt | Deputy Secretary of the Interior | Interior | Provided legal Services to Independent Petroleum Association of America, Noble Energy Company LLC and Statoil Gulf Services LLC (oil companies) | Oil & Gas |
| Doug Domenech | Assistant Secretary of the Interior Insular Areas, Department of the Interior | Interior | Was director of Fueling Freedom Project, Texas Public Policy Foundation | Oil & Gas |
| Richard Goeken | Deputy solicitor for parks and wildlife | Interior | Represented industry coalition defending tree removal, oil and gas firms, holders of water rights on public lands | Oil & Gas |
| Scott Anthony Angelle | Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement | Interior | Performed board member services for and received dividents from Sunoco | Oil & Gas |
| Todd Wynn | Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs | Interior | Former head of energy, environment at American Legislative Exchange Council | Oil & Gas |
| Preston Beard | Advisor, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement | Interior | Was assistant to the president and PAC manager for Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. | Oil & Gas |
| Leila Getto | Deputy Director of Scheduling and Advance | Interior | Worked for the Chamber's Global Energy Institute, which advocates for increased oil, natural gas, and coal production and consumption | Oil & Gas |
| Megan Bloomgren | Communications Director | Interior | Was director fo the Institute for 21st Century Energy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for offshore oil and gas drilling. Was a partner at DCI Group, whose clients include Exxon Mobil and Peabody Energy, and which has promoted climate change skepticism | Oil & Gas |
| Eric S. Dreiband | Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division | Justice | As a lawyer with Jones Day, provided legal services to Citgo | Oil & Gas |
| Chad Robert Mizelle | Counsel | Justice | Provided legal counsel to Koch Industries | Oil & Gas |
| Christopher A. Wray | Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation | Justice | Provided legal services to Chevron Corp. | Oil & Gas |
| Matthew Sheehan | Counsel | Justice | Provided legal services to ExxonMobil. | Oil & Gas |
| Scott Stewart | Counsel | Justice | Performed legal services for BP | Oil & Gas |
| Stephen John Cox | Deputy Associate Attorney General | Justice | Was corporate counsel for Apache Corporation, an oil and gas company | Oil & Gas |
| Kate Siobhan O'Scannlain | Solicitor | Labor | Was legal counsel for Extraction Oil & Gas, LLC | Oil & Gas |
| Paul J. Ray | Counselor to the Secretary | Labor | Provided legal service to American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, ExxonMobil and Consumer Energy Alliance (an oil & gas industry group) | Oil & Gas |
| Francis Fannon | Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources | State | Lobbyist for Murphy Oil from 2007-2012 and BHP Billiton, an oil & gas company, from 2014-2017. | Oil & Gas |
| Irwin Steven Goldstein | Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy | State | Provide communications and management consulting services to BP Global Solutions | Oil & Gas |
| Pamela D. Pryor | Special Advisor to Transition, Office Of The Secretary | State | Represented Fueling US forward at a conference in FL. Provided emcee and attendance. | Oil & Gas |
| Peter Hoekstra | Ambassador, Netherlands | State | Consulting and lobbying for Core Energy through Hoekstra Global Strategies. | Oil & Gas |
| Rex W. Tillerson | Secretary of State | State | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer for ExxonMobil Corporation | Oil & Gas |
| Kathleen Troia \K. T.\" McFarland" | Ambassador, Singapore and Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor | White House / State (failed nomination) | Received honoraria from American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and Independent Oil & Gas Association of West Virginia | Oil & Gas |
| Andrew Kerwin Maloney | Assistant Secretary (Deputy Under Secretary) for Legislative Affairs | Treasury | Vice President of Hess Corporation | Oil & Gas |
| David Malpass | Under Secretary for International Affairs | Treasury | Provided global macro research for BP America Pension Fund | Oil & Gas |
| Marshall Billingslea | Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing | Treasury | Chevron pays Deloitte for Consulting Services that I, and teams under my supervision, provide. | Oil & Gas |
| Justin Clark | Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs | White House | At Davis, Clark & Bonafonte , provided legal services to Total Petrochemnicals & Refining USA, Inc. | Oil & Gas |
| Kellyanne Conway | Counselor to the President | White House | Paid speech for Indiana Energy Association. | Oil & Gas |
| Gregory Katsas | Deputy Counsel to the President | White House | Provided legal services to Chevron Corp. | Oil & Gas |
| Michael J. Catanzaro | Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Energy and Environmental Policy, National Economic Council | White House | Consulting/Lobbying for Koch Industries, Devon and Noble Energy. | Oil & Gas |
Data Sources: ProPublica and Center for American Progress.