HUAWEI BEEFS UP LOBBYING

Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecom firm, is bringing on new lobbying help amid a Trump administration ban on sales to federal agencies.

The firm has already spent $125,000 on lobbying in the first two quarters of this year, a pace that will lead it to top the $165,000 it spent in 2018.

Last year, the company only had two firms on retainer, APCO Worldwide and Strategic Public Affairs. Now, in addition to a $10,000 contract for APCO Worldwide, the firm has also engaged Steptoe & Johnson with a $100,000 contract and Jones Day, with a $20,000 contract.

Only four lobbyists total were lobbying domestically for Huawei until the company nearly doubled its lobbying manpower this summer.

On July 1, it hired Sidley Austin to lobby on export controls, trade and economic sanctions and other national security-related topics, according to lobbying disclosures. Robert Torresen, who focuses on exports and economic sanctions, along with Thomas Green and Mark Hopson, both with backgrounds in white-collar law, will work on the account.

Huawei has one registered in-house lobbyist, Donald Morrissey, who previously worked for former Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.).