Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly

Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly (often simply Black, Manafort) was a lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C.. Formed in 1982, it merged with Gold & Liebengood to form BKSH & Associates in 1996.

History

The firm was one of the first political consulting concerns to work for Ronald Reagan's Presidential candidacy in 1980, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEED7103EF932A15755C0A96F948260 A Political Power Broker] , New York Times, June 21, 1989] , and would later also extensive connections to the presidential administrations of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.cite web|author=Steve Burkholder|year=1993|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1554/is_n1_v19/ai_13571831|title=On the town with Jonas Savimbi - huge U.S. lobbying expenditures by Angola|format=HTML|publisher=Common Cause Magazine|accessdate=2007-11-11|accessyear=2007]

The firm has represented numerous foreign governments and heads of state, including Mohamed Siad Barre of Somalia, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and Jonas Savimbi of Angola. In the 1988 presidential campaign in the United States, it was disclosed that Black, Manafort retained the island nation of the Bahamas was a client at a time its's leadership was being attacked for alleged ties to drug traffickers. BMSK officials insisted that they intended only to help the Bahamas obtain more United States aid for efforts to curb drug smugglers.

Domestically the firm has represented Bethlehem Steel and Tobacco Institute, and helped elect a slew of lawmakers -- including Senators Phil Gramm, Jesse Helms, Charles McC. Mathias Jr., Arlen Specter, Paula Hawkins and David F. Durenberger, and worked on legislation that benefitted the firm's clients.

Personnel

Principals

* Charles R. Black Jr.
* Paul J. Manafort
* Roger J. Stone
* Peter G. Kelly

Others

* Lee Atwater was a senior partner when he joined the Reagan campaign in 1984.

ee also

*Angolan Civil War
*Lobbying in the United States

External links

* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Black%2C_Manafort%2C_Stone_and_Kelly Black, Manafort, Stone, Kelly] at SourceWatch
* [http://www.namebase.org/main3/Manafort-Stone-kelly-Black.html Manafort Stone Kelly Black] at NameBase

References