Lobbyist Turned down Musharraf’s Hefty Offer

K-streeters love that moment when their clients get into trouble. The bigger the problem, the more fees lobbyists can expect to absorb.

The rule may not work, however, in some extreme cases, as we would find this Tuesday, when Cassidy & Associates, a leading lobbying firm, said it would pull out of the newly-minted $1.2 million per year contract with Pakistan government.

Cassidy dropped the lucrative deal, according to the company, because the military crackdown on democratic movement and the jail of Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader, by Musharraf have nullified all efforts to rebuild Pakistan’s image.

The Pakistani government, however, seemed to have a different explanation. A statement by Pakistani Embassy in DC said:

“The contract for one year was still at the trial phase when, during the course of the first month of association, both the Embassy of Pakistan and Cassidy & Associates came to the conclusion that the latter could not effectively implement the contract as lobbyist. As a result, Cassidy & Associates asked for withdrawal from the contract that the Embassy has accepted.”

Whatever the reason, we don’t need to worry about the Musharraf regime. As Karl Marx said, “Capitalists would risk beheaded by guillotine if they see a 300 percent profit opportunity.”

As it turns out, Pakistani remains a major client of K-street. Van Scoyoc Associates continues to represent the government at half the price Cassidy was charging -- $660,000 a year. "We work with the embassy to address legitimate concerns that have been raised in Congress and recent actions by the government of Pakistan," The Washington Post quoted Mark Tavlarides, a vice president of the lobbying firm, as saying.