Goldman Turns to New Lobbying Playbook for Washington
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Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which for years saw no need to play a traditional Washington lobbying game, is deploying former lawmakers and crisis specialists as it tries to tamp down the political firestorm threatening its well-honed brand.
The firm’s 12-person government affairs office in Washington is aiding what one person involved called a franchise protection strategy in the wake of a Securities and Exchange Commission fraud suit against the firm this month. Advisers include an ex-House Democratic Leader, a chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan, President Bill Clinton’s SEC chairman and President Barack Obama’s first White House counsel.