Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will become a principal at a new government relations and political consulting firm in Washington, D.C. rather than joining the President-elect’s administration, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.
Avenue Strategies is a joint operation led by Lewandowski and Barry Bennett, a former aide to Dr. Ben Carson who joined the Trump campaign after the retired neurosurgeon dropped out of the 2016 race. Bennett confirmed to the Examiner that the company, which boosts the two principals’ ties to the Trump on its website, is expected to launch next week.
The firm offers “client-tailored strategy and guidance carefully designed to help our clients navigate our government,” and is located a stone’s throw from the White House, at 1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Just this week, Trump’s campaign manager-turned-advisor Kellyanne Conway emphasized that the President-elect’s “drain the swamp” message meant not only reducing the influence of lobbyists, but that of consultants as well.
Yet Lewandowski’s move to D.C. comes as he continues to play a vital role as a backchannel, informal advisor to Trump. He was reportedly responsible for negotiating a recent dinner between the President-elect and his campaign trail target, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump ally Newt Gingrich told NPR that the President-elect now “disclaims” the “drain the swamp” slogan that became a rallying cry for his supporters during the campaign. He said Trump thought it was “cute,” but simply “doesn’t want to use it anymore.”
