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A lobbying firm run by former Trump campaign aides just registered to work on behalf of a company partially owned by Vladimir Putin’s former chief of staff and a Russian oligarch who reportedly funded a Kremlin-backed infiltration of American conservative groups ahead of the 2016 election.
The client is American Ethane Co., and Turnberry Solutions, the lobbying firm, says it will be working to secure permits for the firm to provide ethane to a Chinese aluminum producer, a deal singled out by Trump himself for praise in 2017.
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American Ethane is based in Houston, but its owners are notable Russian business figures. According to disclosure paperwork filed by Turnberry last week, 30 percent of the company is owned by Konstantin Nikolaev, a Russian billionaire who’s engaged in extensive business with Moscow’s military and intelligence agencies.
According to reports in the New York Times and Washington Post, Nikolaev also provided financial support for Maria Butina, the Russian agent accused of infiltrating the National Rifle Association on the Kremlin’s behalf.
Additional American Ethane investors include Alexander Voloshin, Putin’s former chief of staff. At one point, the list also included Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch who owns the Chelsea FC soccer club.
Jason Osborne, a Turnberry principal working on the American Ethane account, didn’t respond to questions about whether the firm was aware of the other activities of American Ethane’s Russian owners.
Less than a month after Turnberry signed its new Russian-owned client, it brought on some new talent to boost its ranks of political influencers: former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke joined the firm.
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