Energy

Trump-Linked Firm Lobbying For A Green Group Under Federal Investigation

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Photo: mccready/Flickr

A government relations firm loaded with Trump allies has registered to represent a nonprofit previously slated to receive billions from a Biden-era program that is under federal investigation.

The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) was one of several nonprofits selected for funding under a Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) program, with the group set to receive $5 billion — before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) froze the funds and Congress nixed funding for the program, according to the agency.

The now-repealed Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) awarded billions in taxpayer dollars to green groups tied to Democratic insiders and is now under investigation by the EPA’s inspector general over waste, fraud, and abuse concerns. Agency materials and reports show the FBI and DOJ have also examined the program.

Checkmate Government Relations, which employs some Trump allies and former Trump administration officials, registered to lobby for the CGC on January 15, 2026, and filed its disclosure with Congress on February 11, according to public records.

Some of the Checkmate Government Relations lobbyists listed on the disclosure form include ​Charles ​McDowell, ​Christopher ​LaCivita ​Jr. and James ​Johnson, all of which are linked to President Donald Trump or his administration.

Charles McDowell, or “Ches” McDowell, is managing partner of Checkmate Government Relations and multiple reports have noted his close ties to the Trump administration. ​​LaCivita ​Jr. is the son of one of Trump’s top campaign advisors, Chris LaCivita. La Civita Sr. co-managed the 2024 campaign with current White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Johnson recently worked in the Trump administration as a key advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Department. During the first Trump administration, Johnson also served in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy in the White House, the firm’s website notes, as does the disclosure. Johnson also held a top leadership role at the American First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank with close reported ties to administration officials.

Checkmate Government Relations also worked with the Lumbee Tribe, which was recently recognized by the Trump administration. The firm has many other clients across the political spectrum, including major brands like UPS and the National Basketball Association. The North Carolina firm surfaced in Washington D.C. just last year, according to Bloomberg Government.

The CGC and Checkmate Government Relations did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

Michael Chamberlain, director of the government watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “it’s understandable that CGC would turn to a well-connected lobbying firm to save the largesse they got from being well-connected to the Biden administration and its allies.”

PPT previously uncovered that EPA employees were advised to delay outstanding questions as the agency rushed to award program funds ahead of the looming deadline, as previously reported by the DCNF. The PPT also compiled a report highlighting federal reviewers’ comments over the program grantee selections, which included concerns regarding seemingly exorbitant employee salaries and potential risks tied to a rapid deployment of funds.

“Those are the breaks when your business model is completely dependent on government programs. The irony is that that CGC is going bi-partisan now, since the Greendoggle, as the GGRF is sometimes known, was anything but a bipartisan effort,” Chamberlain told the DCNF.

Notably, CGC has also expressed that they do not believe their work to be at odds with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s vision, saying in a June 2025 statement that “we shouldn’t be at cross purposes. CGC has common ground with Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, and we want to move as fast as we can.”

PPT’s report states that CGC has considerable connections to the Democratic Party, with notable board members including former Biden official Cecilia Martinez and David Hayes, the former White House special assistant for climate policy.

CGC and other organizations filed a lawsuit against the EPA, claiming there is no legal justification for withholding the funds and that the agency acted appropriately in distributing them. After several developments in the case, the plaintiffs petitioned for rehearing en banc, and the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed to rehear the matter, with oral arguments scheduled for February 24, 2026.

Zeldin has repeatedly pointed to the GGRF as an example of Biden administration waste and frequently cited a video covertly filmed by Project Veritas, in which a Biden EPA staffer likened the agency’s haste to distribute taxpayer dollars to tossing “gold bars off the Titanic.”

“This arrangement was the first of its kind in EPA history and was purposely designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with less, not more, oversight by the federal government,” W.C. McIntosh, then-acting deputy EPA administrator, wrote to the CGC in March 2025, requesting information in relation to the GGRF investigation. “This [Project Veritas] video is one of many recent developments that have raised questions and concerns regarding the award process, potential self-dealing and conflicts of interest, qualifications of recipients, the effectiveness and efficiency of the program, and the appropriate management and oversight of these funds.”

“Administrator Zeldin has made it clear that one of his top priorities at EPA is to be an excellent steward of the American public’s hard-earned tax dollars. There will be zero tolerance of any waste, fraud, or abuse,” McIntosh continued.

Additionally, the House Oversight Committee majority staff and members of the Energy and Commerce Committee raised concerns about the program. Oversight majority staff released a comprehensive report outlining those concerns in September.