Google extends conservative outreach as Trump calls tech meeting

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump disembarks from his plane after landing at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, U.S., December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON: Alphabet’s 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 enjoying a uniquely close relationship with the administration of President Barack Obama. 

In the weeks since the Nov 8 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.