The lobbyist brother of a senior adviser to President-elect Joe Biden has been collecting customers since Biden’s victory was reportedly reportedly causing problems of conflict of interest in the new White House inner circle.
Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of former Biden councilor Steve Ricchetti, signed a pressure deal with Amazon Web Services in November, less than a week after Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election, CNBC reported on Saturday.
Two days later, Jeff Ricchetti registered as a pressure group for Evofem Biosciences, pushing for contraceptive coverage in federal health plans.
That same week, Steve Ricchetti, who served as chairman of the Biden campaign and chief of staff to his vice presidency, was appointed as the president’s adviser, a job held by trusted aides such as Kellyanne Conway under the Trump’s term.
The Ricchetti brothers co-founded their lobbying company in Washington, DC, Ricchetti Inc., in 2001. The firm managed pharmaceutical clients such as Eli Lilly and Sanofi during Biden’s second vice presidency, when Steve Ricchetti left the company to convert. in Biden’s right hand. home.
But his resume has sparked fierce denunciations from progressive Democrats.
Ricchetti “is a former pharmaceutical pharmacist and has represented groups that opposed Medicare for everyone and the public manufacture of prescription drugs,” Alexandra Rojas of the progressive group Democrats said last month.
“If Joe Biden continues to make business appointments in his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the winning will won by his team with progressives to defeat Donald Trump,” he added.
A source assured CNBC that Jeff Ricchetti’s client list should not worry.
“Steve and Jeff keep their professional activities clearly separate,” the source said.