The firm has represented clients on both sides of the political spectrum and has employed many high-profile Texas officials over the years, including at one time Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Who is Akin Gump?Īkin Gump is one of the most profitable and respected lobbying firms in the nation. The port spokesperson did not answer questions about this. Holman said the other two lobbyists could be permitted to engage the House and Senate.
#FILEMON VELA REGISTRATION#
In the lobbying registration paperwork, Akin Gump stated Vela was one of three total lobbyists working on behalf of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. The deepening is being done alongside the construction of the new Harbor Bridge, which will be tall enough for the larger vessels to clear the bridge. Army Corps of Engineers earmarked $157 million to finish the project, which began in May 2019 to widen and dredge the channel to a depth of 54 feet to accommodate larger vessels capable of carrying a greater amount and wider variety of goods. In a heated meeting before Corpus Christi City Council this week, the longest-serving city-appointed port commissioner, David Engel, told city representatives he was confident the port would secure the remaining federal funding needed to complete the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project. Instead, he said that information would be disclosed in the firm's next quarterly disclosure in July.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/06/07/Filemon_Vela_Official_Portrait_113th_CongressTT.jpg "filemon vela")
Vela did not answer whether lobbying for the port was his only assignment with Akin Gump. In an email to the Caller-Times, Vela said he would not be lobbying the House and Senate until April 2023, saying he takes "compliance obligations seriously and will continue to comply with applicable post-employment restrictions." By law, he would not engage Congress until March 2023. The law states former House members must wait one year to engage in compensated lobbying efforts.
#FILEMON VELA FULL#
Regulations barring some officials from jumping into lobbying right after leaving the public sector exist, but they are "weak and full of holes," Holman said. "Former members of Congress are so valued as revolvers because they've got the connections on Capitol Hill that open doors and get returned phone calls that other lobbyists don't have," he said. That influence can be used to great effect on behalf of businesses, corporations or wealthy special interest groups. The contact lists and prestige accrued during an elected official's time in Congress make them some of the most highly valued lobbyists in Washington, Holman said. "It is a rampant problem here on Capitol Hill." "The 'revolving door' is one of the most pernicious influence-peddling tools available to wealthy special interests and corporations, especially," said Craig Holman, a government ethics lobbyist at the liberal watchdog group Public Citizen.
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