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Former Clinton Staffer and Democratic Megadonor Hired as New Politico CEO

Twitter screenshot @politico
April 25, 2017

The newly-named CEO of Politico has a long history of donating large sums to Democratic candidates and causes and served under former President Bill Clinton.

Politico announced Tuesday that investment banker Patrick Steel would be replacing previous CEO and co-founder Jim VandeHei, who departed in 2016. Politico's owner, Robert Allbritton, and editor in chief, John Harris, informed the staff in a memo before making a public statement.

"Patrick understands that the heart and soul—the power— of Politico rests on great, indispensable journalism, and the global impact of our reporting," they wrote. "Patrick's arrival allows us to engage with the big questions—how can we grow a publication that has more impact in more places with more products—for a long time to come."

Before spending 16 years at the investment firm FBR Capital Markets & Co., Steel served eight years in the Clinton administration with a variety of roles, including a stint as the special assistant to former President Bill Clinton and as deputy director for scheduling.

Steel has become a prolific donor to Democratic causes since joining the public sector. The Media Research Center's Andrew Mullins found that Steel had donated $64,850 to Democrats, and nothing to Republicans.

Politico's new head honcho has also donated to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), and Al Gore.

Published under: Politico