Former Trump officials sign SpaceX, Thales and an AI testing lab in this week’s new lobbying registrations

By Delphine Brooks

WASHINGTON — A former deputy director of the National Economic Council is lobbying for SpaceX. A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has signed on for the aerospace and defense company Thales. And former Rep. Bob Livingston is taking a case about a Venezuelan oil field.

They are among at least 177 new lobbying registrations posted to the federal disclosure database from Monday through midday Thursday, an Inquisitor Data review found. Most are routine: appropriations requests from cities, hospitals and universities, and defense contractors lining up for the fiscal 2027 defense bill. A few show former officials, many from President Trump’s first term, taking on clients with business before the government.

Trade, air traffic and AI

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld registered Monday to lobby for Space Exploration Technologies Corp. on “trade policy regarding space launch and AI services.” Among the lobbyists listed is Kelly Ann Shaw, who the filing says was deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs and deputy director of the National Economic Council in 2018 and 2019, and earlier a trade counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee. The filing describes SpaceX’s business as “space launch and AI services.”

Andrew Bremberg’s firm, Right Policy, registered Tuesday as a subcontractor to the law firm Baker Donelson on behalf of Thales USA, listing “ATM issues,” shorthand for air traffic management. Bremberg’s filing lists his service as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. offices in Geneva from 2019 to 2021 and as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2017 to 2019. The Federal Aviation Administration is in the middle of a multiyear overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system, which the Transportation Department announced in May 2025.

Valcour, a firm whose lobbyists include two former State Department officials, registered for Model Evaluation and Threat Research, or METR, a nonprofit that tests advanced AI models. Matt Mowers lists service as the State Department’s senior White House adviser, and William Killion as the department’s director of House affairs. The issue listed is “general introductions and policy discussion.” Separately, Invariant signed the Secure AI Project, a nonprofit that its filing describes as focused on AI safety, governance and risk reduction. Halie Craig, a former policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee, is on that account.

Gulf, shipyards and Venezuela

David Urban, who lists his past posts as chief of staff to Sen. Arlen Specter and chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission, registered through his firm LGL Advisors as a subcontractor to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck on behalf of Kuwait and Gulf Link Holding, a Kuwaiti supply-chain company. The issue is listed only as “immigration.” The filing names eight Kuwaiti individuals among the client’s foreign entities, with no contributions reported.

Checkmate Government Relations, which also represents Panama’s ship registry, registered for Hanwha Defense USA on “issues related to shipyard investments.” Its listed lobbyists include Chris LaCivita. The South Korean Hanwha group bought the Philly Shipyard for $100 million in December 2024.

The Livingston Group, founded by the former Louisiana congressman, registered Wednesday for WESCA Holding, which it describes as the U.S. holding company for an engineering, construction and operations company in Venezuela. The only issue listed is the “status of an oil field in Venezuela.” The registration lists Starshine Consultants, of St. Kitts and Nevis, as a foreign entity contributing $25,000, and West-Construcciones C.A. of Venezuela as a second foreign entity. The filing arrives as companies spent at least $3.6 million on Venezuela-focused lobbying in the third quarter, according to a separate Inquisitor analysis.

The rest of the list

Other notable registrations include Matthew Flynn, a former deputy assistant to the president and acting White House Cabinet secretary, at Steptoe for the manufacturer Forge Nano on “government funding and procurement opportunities” (filing); S-3 Group for Workday on AI and federal workforce modernization (filing); and Cornerstone Government Affairs for the stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial (filing).

Elevate Government Affairs filed the most new registrations during the four days, with eight, followed by BGR Government Affairs and Tarplin, Downs & Young with six each.

A registration records the start of an engagement. It does not show any meeting or outcome, and registrants report their fees later, in quarterly reports.

Who was asked

The Washington Inquisitor is seeking comment from Akin Gump, Right Policy, LGL Advisors, the Livingston Group, Valcour, Invariant, Steptoe and S-3 Group. This story will be updated with any replies.