Who Is Tony Podesta? Mueller Turns Investigation Toward Him, New Report Says

Democratic lobbyist and fundraiser Tony Podesta and his firm the Podesta Group are now being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to an NBC News report Monday.

The new line of investigation reportedly stemmed from a connection Mueller’s team found when investigating President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.

Manafort had created a public relations campaign for a non-profit group called European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. The Podesta Group is one of the firms that worked on the campaign, helping to improve public perception of Ukraine in the west.

Mueller’s investigation is reportedly looking at whether the Podesta Group violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The law mandates groups that lobby for foreign governments file detailed financial disclosures with the Justice Departments.

Both Manafort and the Podesta Group only filed disclosures under the act after media scrutiny. The Ukrainian non-profit was allegedly backed by a pro-Russian party that Manafort had done consulting work for.

Tony Podesta, 73, is the chairman of the Podesta Group, a firm he started with his brother John Podesta who was presidential campaign chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. John Podesta is not currently affiliated with the group.

“[The Podesta Group] is cooperating fully with the Special Counsel's office and has taken every possible step to provide documentation that confirms timely compliance. In all of our client engagements, the Podesta Group conducts due diligence and consults with appropriate legal experts to ensure compliance with disclosure regulations at all times — and we did so in this case,” the firm said in a statement.

Tony Podesta has worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns and lobbied for several Democratic lawmakers including Ted Kennedy, Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton.

The Podesta Group was founded in 1981.