Washington Examiner By Katherine Doyle, White House Correspondent
President Biden has hired a former career diplomat and Obama White House veteran who lobbied on behalf of Qatar, a U.S. ally with ties to Iran.
Erin Pelton provided strategic consulting and management services to the Embassy of the State of Qatar, according to a report filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2018 under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The rule mandates such a disclosure.
Pelton lobbied for Qatar’s embassy while she was working for Mercury Public Affairs, “a global, high-stakes public strategy firm,” according to the firm’s website.
According to a statement issued by the White House, Pelton will join the administration as a special assistant to the president and senior adviser to Susan Rice, his top domestic policy adviser.
She worked with Rice, one of several women considered as a possible running mate for Biden, during the last Democratic administration and as a spokeswoman upon leaving government. Rice is a former United Nations ambassador and Obama national security adviser.
“Work on behalf of foreign governments should not in and of itself be disqualifying from government service,” said Brett Bruen, a former career diplomat and Obama White House official. “There are a lot of really smart people, including Erin, who have spent time working to support a wide range of clients, including close allies like Qatar.”
“Nonetheless, we need to have transparency when it comes to who they worked for and what was done,” he added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment asking about Pelton’s lobbying work for the Gulf State’s embassy.
Pelton also briefly worked at WestExec, a global consulting firm founded in part by now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Michele Flournoy, former President Barack Obama’s undersecretary of defense for policy.
At least half a dozen former administration officials with ties to WestExec have joined Biden’s team.
The company, which is named for the road between the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, provides guidance from “the Situation Room to the Board Room,” metaphorically speaking. It does not advise foreign governments, political parties, or state-owned enterprises, Pelton, then a company spokeswoman, told the Washington Post in December.
“The most significant part of WestExec’s business centers on assisting U.S. companies with global footprints navigate geopolitical risks abroad,” Pelton said. “As a matter of policy, WestExec does not work for any foreign governments, political parties or state-owned enterprises.”
A firm stance on lobbyist donations meant Biden was returning campaign contributions from foreign government representatives early on.
Two donations from a lobbyist for Qatar and Morocco, Jay Footlik, went back after Footlik gave $2,800, the maximum permitted, within days of Biden launching his presidential bid.
