Media giant Viacom is turning to former Democratic Rep. Howard Berman (Calif.) to help it navigate its business in Russia around the latest round of sanctions placed on Putin's regime, according to Politico.
Berman is the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and joined lobbying shop Covington and Burling last year after losing his seat in 2012.
Berman was hired by Viacom to protect its business property in Russia from the new sanctions:
Berman and his firm Covington and Burling, will work on issues related the package of sanctions put into place by President Barack Obama and the Treasury Department against Russian companies and individuals, according to a lobbying disclosure made public this week.
Viacom has several media properties that operate in Russia — including MTV Russia, Nickelodeon Russia and Comedy Central Russia. The company relaunched MTV Russia last October, and launched a Paramount-branded film channel in the country earlier this year.