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Robert Kelner is the chair of Covington’s Election and Political Law Practice Group. His practice includes defense against government investigations, including congressional investigations and white collar criminal matters.
Mr. Kelner provides political law compliance advice to a wide range of corporate and political clients. His compliance practice focuses on federal and state campaign finance, lobbying disclosure, pay to play, and government ethics laws, as well as legal ethics rules. His expertise includes the Federal Election Campaign Act, Lobbying Disclosure Act, Ethics in Government Act, Foreign Agents Registration Act, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He is also a leading authority on the arcane rules governing political contributions by municipal securities dealers, investment advisers, hedge funds, and private equity funds. Mr. Kelner advises Presidential political appointees on the complex process of being vetted and confirmed for such appointments. Clients include numerous Fortune 500 corporations, major banks and hedge funds, national trade associations, PACs, political party committees, federal candidates, lobbying firms, politically active high net worth individuals, and political appointees. He is the Chairman of the firm's Professional Responsibility Committee. He also currently serves as Chairman of the District of Columbia Bar’s Legislative Practice Committee, and he previously was appointed by the President of the American Bar Association to serve on the ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law.
Mr. Kelner regularly advises corporations and corporate executives on instituting political law compliance programs. He conducts compliance training for senior corporate executives and lobbyists. He has extensive experience conducting corporate internal investigations concerning campaign finance and lobbying law compliance, as well as other corporate compliance matters. Mr. Kelner regularly defends clients in investigations by the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. House & Senate Ethics Committees, the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, the House & Senate Judiciary Committees, the House Energy & Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and other congressional committees. He has prepared numerous CEOs and corporate executives for testimony before congressional investigation panels, and he regularly leads the Practicing Law Institute’s training program on congressional investigations for in-house lawyers. He also defends clients in Lobbying Disclosure Act audits by the GAO and enforcement actions and audits by state election and lobbying enforcement agencies.
Mr. Kelner has appeared as a commentator on political law matters on The PBS News Hour, CNBC, Fox News, and NPR, and he has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Legal Times, Washington Times, Roll Call, The Hill, Politico, USA Today, Financial Times, and other publications.
Representative Matters
- The University of California and Los Alamos National Laboratory in multiple House Energy and Commerce Committee investigations of security and accounting issues at the world famous nuclear weapons lab.
- A major global consumer health care products company in an investigation of product recalls by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
- A major global information technology company in a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigation of cybersecurity breaches
- Several major pharmaceutical companies in investigations of marketing and business practices by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
- The Republican National Committee in investigations by the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the use of RNC email accounts by White House officials.
- Several of the largest banks and financial institutions in the country in investigations by the Congressional Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC).
- The former Chief of Staff to Senator John Ensign in parallel investigations by the Senate Ethics Committee and U.S. Department of Justice.
- A former senior Senate aide in parallel Senate Ethics Committee and Department of Justice investigations concerning the firing of a U.S. Attorney.
- Senior executive branch officials in several agency Inspector General investigations.
- Two prominent lobbying firms in separate criminal investigations by the Department of Justice.
- Freddie Mac, in the largest-ever investigation of a corporation by the Federal Election Commission.
- A nationally known television personality in an investigation by the Federal Election Commission.
- The National Republican Congressional Committee in an internal investigation and subsequent FEC and DOJ investigations concerning one of the largest ever embezzlements by a political committee Treasurer.
Previous Experience
- The World Bank, Political Communications Consultant (1994-1995)
- The Sawyer-Miller Group, a crisis communications and international political consulting firm, advising corporate and political clients, Vice President (1993-1994)
- HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, Speechwriter (1990-1992)
Honors and Rankings
- Named by Washingtonian magazine as one of the "Top Lawyers" in Washington for election and political law.
- Ranked as a top national political lawyer by Chambers USA.
- Washington DC Super Lawyers, Political Law (2012)
Pro Bono
- Represents Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as regulatory compliance counsel, and serves on Lincoln Center’s “Counsel’s Council.”
- Represented a former NASA press office spokesman in a congressional investigation concerning alleged attempts by NASA to silence climate change scientists.
- Represented a former White House official before the September 11 Commission, and in a subsequent congressional investigation, concerning EPA statements about public health concerns in Manhattan after the September 11 attacks.
Memberships and Affiliations
- American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Election Law, Appointed Member
- D.C. Bar Administrative Law Section's Legislative Practice Committee, Chairman
- Federalist Society, Member
Publications and Speeches
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