The Raben Group is a Democratic Party-aligned lobbying group comprised predominately of former members of President Barack Obama’s and President Bill Clinton’s administrations. [1] It has earned at least $50 million[2] representing many left-of-center and radical interests that include the “dark money”[3] Sixteen Thirty Fund;,[4] Islamic Relief Worldwide, a Muslim charity that the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence service accused of funding the terrorist organization Hamas in 2014[5] (a claim the group denies[6]);[7] the anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns group; and liberal expansionist immigration organization National Immigration Forum. [8]
The Raben Group is led by founder Robert Raben, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney General served in the Clinton administration. Raben started his career working under former U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA). [9]
The Raben Group has two divisions, LGBT Strategies and Latin Strategies. [10] It publishes a weekly podcast called, For The Win, which covers topics like fighting climate change, opposing President Donald Trump’s activities related to the U.S. Census, his President Trump’s alleged contribution to bigotry, and strategies to promote abortion. [11] Former Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg received counsel from the Raben Group for his campaign. [12]
Clients
The Raben Group revenue cycles spiked during the Obama administration and have appeared to decline significantly since President Trump’s election. It has represented dozens of left-of-center organizations including two “dark money” organizations: The Advocacy Fund, a member of the intricately designed Tides consortium which is a funding mechanism for many left-wing issues,[13] and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, described as a “massive dark money group” and part of “Arabella Advisors’ ‘dark money’ empire.” [14]
It has represented Islamic Relief Worldwide,[15] which the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence service claimed was funding the terrorist organization Hamas (a claim Islamic Relief Worldwide denies[16]). [17] It also represented the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), a Latino-interest group supported by a number of left-liberal philanthropies including the Soros Network, the Ford Foundation, and the Tides Foundation. [18] Another client is the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, another liberal expansionist immigration advocacy group. [19]
The Raben Group has also worked on behalf of the Free Speech Coalition,[20] the trade association for “adult entertainment.” The Coalition has lobbied opposing the use of condoms during pornographic film production and to halt laws requiring pornographic film producers to pay for performers’ regular health checkups. [21]
The Cannabis Trade Association, a marijuana industry group, hired the Raben Group to focus on legalization, legislation and policy, taxes and regulations. [22] Compassion and Choices and End of Life Choices are assisted-suicide advocacy groups that invested hundreds of thousands with Raben to advance their efforts. [23] Center for Reproductive Rights also invests significant funds with the Raben Group to support the pro-abortion movement. [24]
Corporate Raben Group clients[25] include Google, which was the foremost spender in antitrust lobbying,[26] specifically investing on competition. [27] Pfizer invested predominately in the area of pharmaceutical drug pricing reductions. [28] American Task Force Argentina hired the group[29] to halt World Bank loans to Argentina and have them thrown out of the G-20. [30] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been one of Raben’s top clients. The Raben Group also represents companies like Anheuser-Busch (for help with the Fair BEER Act)[31] and Sprint. [32]
Staff
Robert Raben
Robert Raben is the founder and president with a long career in Democratic Party politics including time as a staffer for former U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) and service in the Clinton administration. Raben hires people almost exclusively from other Democratic institutions for lobbying in support of left-of-center positions. [33]
Joe Onek
Joe Onek Has spent decades representing liberal causes including through a period working for George Soros’s principal advocacy philanthropy, the Open Society Foundations,[34] which has invested billions of dollars in left-wing causes in dozens of countries. [35] Onek has deep experience in Washington having served in every main branch of the federal government. He worked with U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as her senior counsel. Onek was a Deputy Associate Attorney General under President Bill Clinton and a member of President Jimmy Carter’s administration, managing his boycott of the Moscow Olympics. His experience extends to working with former liberal Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan and former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). [36]
Elliot Williams
Elliot Williams serves as is a principal at The Raben Group and also a CNN analyst. He served in the Obama administration. [37] Williams has accused President Donald Trump of an “unyielding assault on the media” and of being a bully. He believes the President’s categorization of certain news outlets as fake news confuses Americans and might result in gigantic health care expenses. [38]
Jamal Simmons
Jamal Simmons is a principal lobbyist and also a political commentator on shows including MSNBC, CBS, ABC and CNN. He is a regular attendee of the television shows “Face the Nation” and “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” His political career began with the presidential campaign of then-Governor Bill Clinton (D-AR) and then he served in the Clinton administration. He then supported former Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign and worked with the Democratic National Committee for the 2008 Obama/Biden campaign. [39]
Jeanne Butterfield
Serves as special counsel for the Raben Group. She worked with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Immigration Forum, an liberal expansionist immigration advocacy group. [40]
She was the executive director of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a radical anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian group. [41]
Alaina Beverly
Alaina Beverly is a principal lobbyist and was the associate director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs under President Barack Obama. She worked as President Obama’s deputy political director during his presidential campaign primaries in South Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio, Mississippi, North Carolina and Michigan. In the general election, Beverly became the national deputy director for African-American outreach. [42]
Other Staff
A number of other Raben Group staff are alumni of President Obama’s administration:
Michael Yudin was formerly with the U.S. Department of Education for six years. [43]
Gabriela Domenzain served President Obama as a national spokeswoman and is a Hispanic-interest activist formerly with UnidosUS. [44] She worked with Univision and Telemundo. [45] Domenzain also worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. [46]
Brandi Colander and Jessica McCall served under President Obama. [47]
Ryan Daniels is a director at Raben Group; he was the associate director of communications in the Obama White House. [48]
Tiffany Cross is joining The Raben Group as a director after working for the National Education Association teachers’ union. [49]
For The Win
The Raben Group holds weekly podcasts. Episodes included a story alleging President Trump spread online bigotry and another episode claimed he was the most anti-LGBT President in history. Another show provides the strategy on how Democrats can defeat the NRA. There is a podcast showcasing the National Network of Abortion Funds and discussing so-called “reproductive justice,” a euphemism for abortion. It claims pro-life policies hurt people of color and the pro-abortion people seek to help those most in need. An earlier podcast discusses the need to expand the Supreme Court, change the Electoral College, and make the District of Columbia a state. The first episode features former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder opposing Republican election-related policies. [50]
Divisions and Partnerships
LGBT Strategies
Raben Group’s LGBT Strategies engages clients like Google, Human Rights Campaign, Viacom and others on LGBT issues. [51] The group claims, “Queer culture and the arts would be much poorer without the presence and contribution of butch and stud lesbians, whose identity is both its own aesthetic and a defiant repudiation of the male gaze.” [52]
LATINStrategies
Led by Larry Gonzalez, the group advises clients on engaging the Latino demographic. [53]
Move to End Violence
Move to End Violence is a joint effort with the left-of-center donor the NoVo Foundation, to stop violence towards females through social change. [54]