U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has formed amiable relationships with the political left.
The Daily Beast reported Thursday that Lighthizer has met with Lori Wallach, head of trade at Public Citizen. Public Citizen was founded by Ralph Nader and has described Trump’s agenda as “toxic.” However, Wallach gets along just fine with Trump’s top trade official.
Wallach and Lighthizer met in May and June, with two sit-downs coming in the latter month.
“I’ve known Bob Lighthizer for a long time because there are not a lot of people who are trade experts and who know the substance of the agreements and the laws very well,” Wallach told The Daily Beast. “I have closely followed his work. I’ve learned stuff from his perspective.”
Like Trump, Wallach is opposed to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Lighthizer is currently renegotiating. The activist credited former President Barack Obama’s top trade official, Michael Froman, for helping Trump win in 2016.
She told the Beast that Froman “helped elect Trump by pushing the [Trans-Pacific Partnership] relentlessly right through the swing states right through the election.”
Democratic Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro also said that she thinks the Trump administration values labor.
“We had a good conversation and I actually did say to him, ‘Look, I have read some of your statements and frankly I didn’t hear members of the Obama administration have these types of views,'” DeLauro stated.