Remote lobbying: The Tipline for 23 July 2020

Executives from the top four US tech companies will testify before the House of Representatives next week, but their lobbying efforts precede them. Facebook and Amazon both spent more than $4 million on lobbying in the second quarter of 2020, while Google spent $1.7 million and Apple $1.5 million. But the question remains: how did lobbyists wine and dine members of Congress during the covid-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown of many DC restaurants? That kind of money would buy a lot of takeout. We have more on second-quarter lobbying in today’s Tipline, plus details about the lead lawyer in the Antitrust Division’s most recent merger trial leaving for private practice.