Turkey Paid Terry McAuliffe’s Firm To Lobby US Against Recognition of Armenian Genocide

Dem candidate’s lobbying shop collected $1.3 million from Turkish government.

WFB: A consulting firm cofounded by Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe lobbied on behalf of the Turkish government to prevent the United States from official recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Turkey paid McAuliffe’s firm, McAuliffe, Kelly, & Raffaelli, nearly $1.3 million from 1990 to 1994 for a variety of lobbying and public relations services, according to disclosures under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. At the time, the Turkish government faced scrutiny from the State Department and human rights groups over the alleged use of torture against members of Kurdish opposition groups.

McAuliffe’s tenure at his consulting firm is a largely forgotten entry on his political résumé, which includes a stint as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a longtime friendship with the Clintons. McAuliffe has said he did not engage in the day-to-day lobbying activities at McAuliffe, Kelly, & Raffaelli, but his former partners have credited him as the glue that held the firm together. The firm at one point sported a roster of 60 clients, several of them controversial, Politico reported in 2013. In addition to Turkey, McAuliffe’s firm represented the Lead Industry Association and cigarette maker Philip Morris. more here