LegiStorm

The chief of staff to a retired representative has landed softly at the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Joshua Salpeter had worked for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) since 2006 and as chief of staff during her last three years in office.

Salpeter joined the federal agency as special assistant to the senior deputy chair earlier this month.

The USDA's legal arm has added an attorney from the House Natural Resources Committee.

Chris Esparza is now senior counsel to the Office of the General Counsel, which provides legal advice and services to the rest of the agency.

Esparza most recently served as Republican counsel to the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. He's also worked for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and for ex-Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

Though she left Allstate after just months, one Republican aide is still in good hands.

Alex Igleheart joined freshman Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) this month as legislative director. She most recently worked as an Allstate senior consultant for government and industry relations. Last year, the insurance company spent more than $2.7 million on federal lobbying, although Igleheart did not register as a lobbyist during her time there.

Before leaving for Allstate last June, Igleheart previously worked in the Texas House and for Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas).

A reproductive-health lobbyist has birthed a new career in the Senate.

Rebecca Nathanson is now a legislative assistant to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). She most recently worked as federal affairs manager at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a physicians' association. Through the related American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, she lobbied on a range of health-care and insurance issues.

Before joining ACOG in 2015, Nathanson worked for Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.).

A pair of senior advisers to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign are lobbying on behalf of a gas company with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

American Ethane Co. last month hired Turnberry Solutions to lobby on unspecified "international trade and energy matters," according to a disclosure filed on Tuesday.

This isn't AEC's first lobbying contract, but it is their first with Turnberry. The Houston-based company has previously held contracts with Bold Strategies, Sander Resources and BGR Group.

AEC, which is the country's largest producer of ethane gas, lists two Russian billionaires as owners. Konstantin Nikolaev, who holds a 56 percent stake, is allegedly both a member of Putin's inner circle and a financial backer of Maria Butina, the alleged Russian spy who last year pled guilty to engaging in conspiracy against the U.S. Andrey Kunatbaev, who owns 30 percent of AEC, is a former deputy in the State Duma, Russia's lower legislative chamber. Alexander Voloshin, former chief of staff to Putin, reportedly owns a additional "secret" portion of the company.

Working on behalf of AEC are Turnberry co-founder Jason Osborne and lobbyist Ryan O'Dwyer. Both worked as senior aides to Trump's 2016 campaign. Osborne is a former lobbyist at Avenue Strategies who left sometime after co-founder Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, faced criticism over his failure to register as a lobbyist. Turnberry is named after one of Trump's golf resorts.

During a 2017 trip to China, President Trump praised an AEC trade deal to sell ethane to China, saying that the $26-billion contract would promote "American prosperity and trade" and create "thousands of American jobs."