Amazon has severed its ties with Washington’s top lobbying firms after repeated attacks by Donald Trump

Amazon.com Inc. cut ties with Washington’s top lobbying firms and brought on new advisers following passage of the tax overhaul bill last year and in the face of new challenges in the age of US President Donald Trump.

The shake-up occurred last Friday, a week before Trump briefly sent Amazon’s stock tumbling with a Twitter attack on the world’s largest online retailer.

Trump charged that Amazon doesn’t pay enough in state and local sales taxes, hurts retailers and gets an unfair edge on the back of the US Postal Service.

Amazon ended its relationship with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, the law firm that attracts more lobbying revenue than any other K Street operation, and Squire Patton Boggs,  according to a person familiar with the decisions.

At Squire Patton, Amazon’s lobbyists included Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader.

Amazon loses US$54b in value after ‘Trump threatened to go after it’

In their place, Amazon hired Paul Brathwaite of Federal Street Strategies LLC and Josh Holly of Holly Strategies Inc., according to the person. 

Both previously worked as outside lobbyists for Airbnb Inc. and Oracle Corp. at the defunct Podesta Group, which was once dubbed the “King of K Street” before becoming entangled in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.