Rick Davis (political consultant)

He previously served as a partner and chief operating officer of Pegasus Capital Advisors L.P., a private equity firm specializing in sustainable development projects.He was a managing partner of the business development and public affairs consulting firm Davis-Manafort, located in Alexandria, Virginia.During his tenure at the White House, Davis served as Principal Director of the Domestic Policy Council, in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.In 1990, Davis served as Consultant to the White House Conference on Science and Economic Research Related to Global Climate Change.Davis served as Manafort's deputy in orchestrating the 1996 Republican National Convention; both would later join Bob Dole's presidential team."[1] In 2006, Davis helped plan McCain's next White House run, envisioning a corporate-style campaign modeled after President Bush's 2004 bid.Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis – weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual – since 2006."[18] Newsweek reported that during the period of the payments, Freddie Mac had no contact with Davis Manafort other than receiving monthly invoices from the firm and paying them.[18] In 2005, Davis and his business partner, political consultant Paul J. Manafort, pitched a plan to Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska under which they would influence news coverage, business dealings, and politics in the former Soviet Union, Europe, and the United States "to benefit President Vladimir Putin's government."Deripaska's suspected links to anti-democratic and organized crime figures are so controversial that the U.S. government revoked his entry visa in 2006.Davis had been assisting the ruling party with their successful independence campaign, which was bankrolled by Deripaska, the largest employer in Montenegro.[1][24] McCain and Davis have come under attack by the AFL-CIO for facilitating the deal, as DHL is now planning to quit using the Wilmington, Ohio freight airport as a hub.