So who exactly is Brown Lloyd James? Well, for a firm with so much experience in PR crisis management, they curiously didn’t seem to have a plan for dealing with this PR crisis – I called and wrote to them to see what they had to say about this document, but they weren’t answering the phone. (Here’s an idea for you, Brown Lloyd James – When you’re having a PR crisis, follow your own advice and get on that media-monitoring stick, 24-hours a day. I’m sure I won’t be the only nosy parker calling to pester you about this in the next few days.)
It gets worse. Brown Lloyd James apparently has “extensive experience managing complex international projects—including media campaigns and special events—for prominent clients, including for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Bid, the 2022 Qatar World Cup Bid, the United Nations Independent Inquiry into the Oil-For-Food Programme, AARP, Qatar Foundation, The City of London Corporation, the Independent Panel Review of the World Bank, Al Jazeera English, The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and various heads of states and government officials from around the world.” Frankly, they sound like the kind of firm that would test their applicants’ suitability for the job by offering them a newborn kitten and seeing if for the right price they’ll stomp on it.
It’s led, among others, by one Mike Holtzman:
He led the firm’s work on behalf of Qatar’s winning bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as a campaign on behalf of Iraqi Governing Council member Ayad Allawi, who went on to become Iraq’s first post-Saddam Prime Minister. His clients include high level international political and business figures and prominent non-governmental organizations. He headed the BLJ team that supported the United Nations Independent Inquiry into the Oil-for-Food Programme, chaired by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. At the government’s request, Mike was seconded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Reprising a role he held with FEMA during the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, Mike served as a media liaison from Ground Zero. Mike later served as a Consultant at the US State Department, serving as an advisor to the Director of Policy Planning Staff. Recently, Mike wrote two important commentaries on US public diplomacy in the New York Times. During the Clinton Administration, Mike worked in the Executive Office of the President as Special Advisor for Public Affairs to United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky. He was Director of Public Affairs to the Council on Foreign Relations from 1996-1998.
Oh, that’s who we want in those positions, for sure.
Ever wonder why the world’s so screwed up? It’s because people like Mike Holtzman, who think it’s a fine idea to advise clients like Bashar al Assad, are literally the ones running our government.
Originally published by Gatestone Institute http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org