Donald Trump unlocked revolving door for Terry Branstad

Former U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad and his former chief of staff in Beijing, Steve Churchill, recently formed a consulting group to provide “strategic insight and solutions to corporate leaders and investors conducting business in China and the United States.”

Countless former diplomats who served presidents of both parties have traveled the same path after leaving government service. Thanks to former President Donald Trump, Branstad was able to start cashing in a year early.

LOBBYING BY ANOTHER NAME

Branstad and Churchill announced the new firm in a December 16 news release, enclosed in full below. (I learned about the venture from an article by the Des Moines Register’s Stephen Gruber-Miller.)

“Drawing on the expertise of two of the highest-ranking individuals to serve at the U.S. Mission in China,” the release states, “the Branstad Churchill Group is a strategic partner in helping organizations and individuals advance their goals.” Some of that work sounds like business consulting: risk assessment, analysis of market penetration and tariff barriers, trade and investment opportunities.

Read more: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2021/12/30/donald-trump-unlocked-revolving-door-for-terry-branstad/