The Washington Post reported July 12 that PFIAB Chairman Langdon “met last winter with investment bankers in China to help secure his law firm’s role in lobbying†for CNOOC in its bid to take over Unocal. “Langdon met with CNOOC’s investment banking partner, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., in February, marshalling a long friendship with Beijing-based Goldman executive William Wicker to help win his firm’s lobbying contract, Akin Gump officials confirmed,†the Post reported. “They say he recused himself in late March from further involvement in the matter, either for Akin Gump or the PFIAB.†The National Journal reported that Akin Gump partner Daniel Spiegel, who is handling the account, said that CNOOC chose his firm “because we have tremendous expertise in the energy area.†Speigel would not tell the magazine how much money the Chinese-government-controlled company is paying the firm. “We aren’t disclosing the value at this point,†he said.
