MGM expands Washington lobbying office

MGM Resorts International has bought a new Washington, D.C., office building for its in-house lobbying team, led by former chief counsel to the now retired Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, Ayesha Khanna.

Khanna has been appointed a senior vice president of the company responsible for federal government affairs, and in addition to her service to Reid can boast a CV that includes international trade counsel on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee under U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, and attorney at the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Commerce Department.

MGM has a number of interests on which it lobbies, including travel, tourism and the legalisation of online gambling.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Khanna will be assisted in Washington by Norman Ross, vice president of federal government affairs. Denice Miller, senior vice president of government affairs, will work from Nevada.

Media speculation that the expansion may be associated with comments by the incoming Trump administration’s Attorney General nominee, Jeff Sessions that he would revisit the DoJ’s interpretation of the Wire Act were discounted by company spokesman Gordon Absher, who pointed out that the expansion and purchase of a new building predated the Sessions comment.

“Our plans to expand the company’s policy presence – in fact, even the purchase of our D.C. office building – predate those recent comments,” he said.

Working through a subsidiary, MGM paid $3.75 million for a 6,845-square-foot Washington office building to house the expanded team.