Never Trump Movement Leader’s Firm Loses $120K Sweetheart EPA Deal Under Scrutiny

Big Government- A $120,000 no-bid contract between NeverTrumper-led public affairs company Definers Corp and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been canceled after complaints emerged in response to the award.

Definers Corp issued the following statement on dropping the 2018 contract, according to President Joe Pounder:

Definers offered EPA a better and more efficient news clipping service that would give EPA’s employees real-time news at a lower cost than what previous Administrations paid for more antiquated clipping services. but it’s become clear this will become a distraction. As a result, Definers and the EPA have decided to forgo the contract. We look forward to continuing to provide our cutting-edge Console war room products to our corporate clients, but will no longer work with federal government clients.

After the contract had been awarded and before it was canceled, Definers’ Senior Vice President Colin Reed told Mother Jones that the firm contracted with EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s office to provide the agency with their “Definer’s Console” product. The product offers a “war room”-style, client-tailored media monitoring and response enabling platform that includes a human analysis with the “client interests foremost in mind.”

A federal description of the yearlong contract read, “News analysis and brief service focusing on EPA work and other topics of interest to EPA.”

According to federal records on the contract, there were no other bids taken or solicited for the contract.

Definers Corp was founded by Matt Rhoades, former campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s failed 2012 presidential campaign. The firm also lists Tim Miller as a partner in the firm. Miller is not only a former communications director for Jeb Bush’s failed 2016 presidential campaign, but is described, in part, on Definers’ website as “senior advisor to the GOP’s leading anti-Trump Super PAC ‘Our Principles,’ and was co-founder of America Rising LLC and America Rising PAC.”  read more