Google Taps Ex-Congresswoman To Lead Government Outreach
February 23 2012 - 4:15PM
Dow Jones News
Google Inc. (GOOG) has tapped former congresswoman and veteran
lobbyist Susan Molinari to oversee government outreach in the
Americas, adding muscle to the Internet giant's political presence
amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny.
Molinari, who is expected to start at Google next month as Vice
President of Public Policy and Government Relations for the
Americas, served as a Republican representative from a New York
City district from 1990 to 1997.
She has also lobbied on behalf of a number of companies
including Motorola Inc. over the years, according to public
filings, and in 2010 started the lobbying and consulting firm Susan
Molinari Strategies.
In 1997, Molinari had joined CBS Corp. (CBS) as a co-anchor of a
morning news show, though she departed less than a year later.
"I am excited about Susan joining Google," Google Chief Legal
Officer David Drummond said in a prepared statement.
"She's a true trailblazer and her enthusiasm for our technology
and its potential to change lives will be a real asset to our team
in the Americas," Drummond said.
Molinari's appointment was previously reported by Politico.
Google has attracted an increasing amount of scrutiny from
government officials both in the U.S. and abroad, related to a
number of issues including privacy practices and competitive
behavior.
The Mountain View, Calif., company spent about $9.7 million on
federal lobbying efforts last year, according to the Center For
Responsive Politics.
Last September, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was
called to testify at a Senate hearing on the company's competitive
behavior, with the title "The Power of Google."
Earlier this month, Google won approval in the U.S. and EU for
its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.
(MMI), a mobile phone and set-top box division split off from
Motorola early last year.
However, regulators have indicated they will pay close attention
to Google's use of Motorola patents obtained through the
merger.
Privacy issues have also drawn attention to Google. On Wednesday
a group of more than 30 state attorneys general wrote to Google CEO
Larry Page, expressing concern about the company's planned changes
to it privacy policy.
-By John Letzing, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-8230;
john.letzing@dowjones.com
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