Palantir, the data analytics company whose software powers the Trump administration's deportation operations, has hired a former Democratic senator and a team of Democratic lobbyists with close ties to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, adding to a growing roster of Democrat-connected operatives the company has brought on in recent months.
The company registered Avoq LLC as a lobbying firm effective May 1, according to a disclosure signed on June 15. The four-person team representing Palantir is led by firm partner Steve Elmendorf, one of the top fundraisers for congressional Democrats, who has raised hundreds of thousands of bundled campaign dollars for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, including hosting DCCC fundraisers featuring Jeffries as a speaker. Elmendorf co-founded Avoq and previously served as chief of staff to former Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt.
Joining Elmendorf is Cedric Grant, who served as Jeffries’ first chief of staff in the House, before joining Avoq, where he specializes in outreach to House Democratic Leadership and the Congressional Black Caucus, according to his firm bio. Like Elmendorf, Grant is also a campaign contribution bundler and fundraiser host for the DCCC. Also working for Palantir on the Avoq team are Keith Castaldo, a former general counsel to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Joseph Orlando, a former staffer for Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone and Jan Schakowsky, and another bundler for the House Democrats’ campaign group.
