Google hires conservatives to curry favour with Donald Trump

Google is racing to hire more conservatives for its lobbying and policy arm, trying to get a foothold in president-elect Donald Trump’s Washington after having a uniquely close relationship with the administration of president Barack Obama.

In the weeks since the presidential election, Google has ramped up efforts to hire Republican lobbying firms and in-house lobbyists to change the composition of its Washington office, according to three lobbyists with knowledge of the matter.

The company also posted an advertisement for a manager for conservative outreach and public-policy partnership, seeking a “liaison to conservative, libertarian and free-market groups”.