Davis, Manafort & Freedman, Inc.

Davis, Manafort & Freedman, Inc. is an Arlington, Virginia, lobbying firm.

Controversy
John McCain's "own campaign manager, Rick Davis, has been a registered lobbyist for GTECH (the world's largest lottery company, which has been under the shadow of possible federal prosecution for years) as recently as June 1999," the Center for Public Integrity reported March 2, 2000.

McCain's "credibility gap starts with his campaign manager, Davis. A former White House aide to President Reagan, Davis is a name partner with the lobbying firm Davis, Manafort & Freedman, Inc. In 1999, the firm had four active clients: GTECH Corporation (gambling), SBC Communication, Inc. (a Baby Bell phone company), COMSAT Corp. (a government-owned satellite company), and Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (a basic apparel manufacturer). Two of those companies, COMSAT and SBC, had major (and controversial) mergers pending before the Federal Communications Commission in 1999, and both mergers were approved (the Commerce Committee has legislative oversight authority, and therefore quite a bit of political influence, over the FCC). While Tim McKone, a McCain fund-raiser who left the firm in November 1999 to become the top lobbyist at SBC, handled the SBC and COMSAT accounts, it was Davis who was registered to lobby for GTECH through at least June 30, 1999, well into the campaign season."

Paul J. Manafort, "a seasoned American political strategist who was once a senior aide in Senator Bob Dole’s Republican presidential campaign" worked in Ukraine on the presidential  campaign of Victor Yanukovich. Yanukovich, who lost the 2004 election, is viewed by many pro-Western groups as an "autocrat-in-waiting"

Key Personnel

 * Patrick Brady
 * Richard H. Davis
 * Matthew C. Freedman
 * Paul J. Manafort
 * Timothy McKone

Affiliations

 * Registered Foreign Agent for "Federal Republic of Nigeria"; Registrant's Foreign Agents: Patrick Brady, Richard H. Davis, Matthew C. Freedman, Paul J. Manafort, and Timothy McKone.

Disbursements

 * Committee: MCCAIN 2000 INC

Contributions

 * Paul J. Manfort of Davis, Manafort & Freedman, Inc. contributed $2,000 to George W. Bush's Primary
 * Timothy McKone of Davis, Manafort & Freedman, Inc. contributed $100,000 to President George W. Bush's 2001 Inauguration.
 * Bayou Leader Political Action Committee
 * Promoting Republican You Can Elect Political Action Committee

Contact Information
211 North Union Street Suite 250 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 703 299-9100

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Shirley & Banister Public Affairs
 * The Reform Institute