Bill Gates's Hired Guns Microsoft has retained numerous well-connected spinmeisters to defend it against the Justice Dept.'s antitrust charges and other matters in Washington. Advocates include: CLARK & WEINSTOCK INC. Former Republican Representative Vin Weber is lobbying GOP members of Congress to give Microsoft a fair hearing on the antitrust suit DOWNEY CHANDLER INC. On Microsoft's behalf, former Representatives Thomas Downey and Rod Chandler visited members of Congress before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on software competition EDELMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS WORLDWIDE Orchestrated both Microsoft's Nov. 11 press conference attacking Justice's case and a Nov. 12 pro-Microsoft press confab held by Microsoft's business partners during Nader's bash GROVER NORQUIST House Speaker Newt Gingrich's pal, who also heads conservative advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform, has lobbied Congress for Microsoft on encryption, Internet taxation, tax, and advanced TV PRESTON GATES ELLIS & ROUVELAS MEEDS Members of Gates's father's law firm visit Congress and federal agencies on everything from encryption to China trade policy STRATEGIC ALLIANCES GROUP The P.R. tacticians called consumer groups to deflate anti-Microsoft criticism from consumer advocate Ralph Nader's allies before his mid-November anti-Microsoft conference DATA: LEGISLATIVE RESOURCE CENTER, U.S. CONGRESS; BUSINESS WEEK Return to main story

Updated Dec. 11, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1997, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use