Google may be betting that Newt Gingrich won’t be president.
The Internet giant announced on Thursday that it has hired former Rep. Susan Molinari, R-N.Y., a public critic of the Republican presidential candidate, to head its Washington office.
Molinari will add to a growing Washington presence for Google, which tripled its lobbying spending last quarter to $9.7 million in 2011. The company also used its high-profile search website to protest controversial anti-piracy legislation, which was dropped after an online outcry.
Molinari, who served from 1990 to 1997, brings legislative know-how and political connections. Some of those connections are more recent than others.
In January Molinari taped a campaign advertisement for GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney in which she questions Gingrich’s discipline as a leader in the House of Representatives in the 1990s.
“Newt Gingrich had a leadership style that can only be described as leadership by chaos,” Molinari, who served with Gingrich in Congress, tells viewers in the TV spot that ran during the South Carolina primary. She has also criticized Gringrich in her book.
On their own time, Google’s employees have long been politically active and Google’s PAC has donated to both sides of the aisle. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Google’s employees and their immediate families were among the top contributors to President Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Molinari will manage lobbying efforts and government outreach in North and South America, as well as in D.C. The hire comes as Google faces scrutiny over its privacy policies as well as an ongoing antitrust investigation.
"She's a true trailblazer and her enthusiasm for our technology and its potential to change lives will be a real asset to our team in the Americas," Google Senior Vice President David Drummond said in a statement.
Politico first reported the news on Thursday.
Molinari has been working as a consultant at her firm Susan Molinari Strategies. She replaces Alan Davidson as Google's top advocate in Washington and her title will be vice president of public policy and government relations for the Americas.
Molinari served on the New York City Council and her husband, former Rep. Bill Paxon, R-N.Y., works at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP.
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.
Leave a Comment