Jeff Ricchetti, whose brother Steve Ricchetti is a counselor to the president, was paid $60,000 throughout the second quarter of 2021 to lobby the council on "issues related to China" on behalf of General Motors, according to a recent disclosure.
Under the Trump administration, the automaker tried to have tariffs taken off from their Buick Envision, which is made in China. The request was denied.
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Biden has maintained many of former President Donald Trump’s trade policies, including on Chinese exports.
Jeff Ricchetti did not reply to a request for comment about the disclosure and questions regarding who he met with, what matters were discussed, when they met, and whether tariffs were discussed.
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Jeff Ricchetti told CNBC in an email he no longer lobbies the White House Office. The National Security Council, which Biden chairs, is part of the Executive Office of the President, along with the Council of Economic Advisors and the Office of Management and Budget. Jeff Ricchetti did not lobby the EOP under Trump, according to federal records.
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A longtime Democratic operative, Jeff Ricchetti’s brother Steve held positions in the Obama and Clinton administrations. He’s now a key negotiator on the White House’s bipartisan infrastructure plan, one part of a broad portfolio for his position. Steve Ricchetti is further one of Biden’s closest aides, spending last weekend with the president golfing in Wilmington, Delaware.
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Jeff Ricchetti further worked on the infrastructure bill, on behalf of General Motors, according to federal disclosures. The brothers co-established the Ricchetti Inc. lobbying firm shortly after George W. Bush came into office in 2001, which Jeff has continued to lead.
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Steve Ricchetti, who has not been a registered lobbyist since 2009, grew then-Vice President Biden’s counselor in 2012, selling his Ricchetti Inc. stake that year. As counselor to the president, Steve has recused himself from matters linked to his brother and his clients. His brother’s work for GM throughout infrastructure negotiations did not need recusal by his brother because he didn’t lobby the Executive Office of the President and the matter on which he was working, electric car charging stations, was not specific to the company, according to a White House official.
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Business for Ricchetti’s firm has boomed since Biden won the presidential election last year. It brought in $820k in the first quarter of 2021, close to five times the amount his company made in the first quarter of 2020, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.