Tony Podesta

Anthony Thomas Podesta (born October 24, 1943) is an American lobbyist best known for founding the Podesta Group. The brother of former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, he was formerly one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists and fundraisers.

Podesta and the Podesta Group were under federal investigation regarding compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act for their work for a Ukrainian group tied to the former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych beginning in 2012. The investigation was closed in September 2019 without charges being brought. In 2021, Podesta was reportedly hired by Huawei as a lobbyist and consultant. His father was a factory worker.

He was married to congressional staffer and lobbyist Heather Miller Podesta from 2003 to 2014. After McCarthy lost the Democratic nomination to Hubert Humphrey, Podesta organized students on behalf of the Humphrey-Muskie campaign.

Career in lobbying and activism In 1981, Tony Podesta became a founding president of People for the American Way, a secular liberal group started by television producer Norman Lear. He led the group until 1987.

Podesta's lobbying firm, the Podesta Group, had more than $40 million in annual revenue at its peak at the time of the Obama administration.

By 2015, the Podesta Group was the third largest in Washington, D.C., with revenue of approximately $30 million. More recently, he has worked for Pennsylvania Democratic representatives Joe Sestak, Chris Carney, and Patrick Murphy, and chaired former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's reelection campaign. In 2016, Podesta was on the board of a Vietnamese casino company run by an American businessman who had been barred from the securities industry in United States for defrauding customers. The casino company sought to get the Vietnamese government to deregulate the gambling sector. at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington D.C.

On July 23, 2021, Huawei reportedly hired Podesta as consultant and lobbyist, with a goal of nurturing the company's relationship with the Biden administration.

Investigation In 2017, Tony Podesta came under scrutiny for failing to disclose the extent of his political work for a Ukrainian group tied to both adviser Paul Manafort and to the pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2012.

On October 30, 2017, Podesta announced that he would leave the Podesta Group.

On July 31, 2018, it was reported that Podesta was referred by special counsel Robert Mueller to federal prosecutors for investigation in New York.

On September 24, 2019, the Department of Justice concluded the probe of Tony Podesta with no charges.