Political Intelligence
Vetting political candidates, key advisors, contributors and supporters has become as standard as conducting opposition research on issue advocacy groups and adversary candidates. Marquet International’s expert research staff assists parties, candidacies and issue advocates with actionable, discreet and appropriately gathered information and intelligence to support political parties, candidacies or advocacy groups.
Vetting Candidates
Marquet International’s discreet investigative and research experts probe deeply into the backgrounds and reputations of political candidates. The first effort is to verify information provided by the candidate about his or her past – including education and employment histories, business interests, assets, litigation history, regulatory issues and possible criminal matters. Beyond the typical public records lies a treasure trove of intelligence that can be gathered on candidates – whether in a self due diligence effort or in an opposition stance. We identify individuals who have known the candidate over the years – going as far back as their high school days – to conduct discreet interviews in an effort to gather intelligence on the candidate’s track record, history, reputation and beliefs. We will also conduct a thorough review of voting records and public statements in order to identify trends, conflicts of interest or controversial stances. Key personal relationships are researched and identified in order to reveal other potential issues of controversy.
Vetting Key Advisors, Contributors and Supporters
Like the vetting process for candidates, it is crucial for campaigns to scrutinize the key advisors, contributors and supporters of a candidate – for both your own campaign and the opposition candidacy. A self due diligence on your own advisors may reveal issues that could be used against your candidate or campaign. Likewise, an adversary’s advisor, with a controversial past, may be used to your political advantage. A thorough review of such advisor’s past, relationships, positions and statements may reveal fruitful fodder.
Investigating Advocacy Groups
The process of investigating advocacy groups typically involves a review of not only the organization itself, but also its key officers and directors. Marquet International reviews the full range of publicly available information, obtained in a legal and ethical manner, as well as conducts appropriate interviews in order to identify issues that could be helpful for your cause.