NBC

Podesta Group, Mercury Are Companies ‘A' and ‘B' in Indictment: Sources

Tony Podesta, who founded the left-leaning Podesta Group in 1988, stepped down from his position with the firm on Monday morning, an employee told NBC News

Two lobbying firms, the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, are the unnamed companies in the grand jury indictment of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, three sources with knowledge of the investigation told NBC News.

The indictment refers to "Company A" and "Company B" as the firms Manafort and Gates solicited in 2012 to lobby on behalf of the Ukranian government. Company A is Mercury Public Affairs and Company B is the Podesta Group, according to sources.

The revelation of the companies' identities points to more details about the players involved in the high-stakes venture run by Manafort and Gates to push the interest of a pro-Russia Ukranian political party inside the U.S. It also provides a glimpse into the material special prosecutor Robert Mueller has corroborated on both companies and the potential legal repercussions both groups could face.

Tony Podesta, who founded the left-leaning Podesta Group in 1988, stepped down from his position with the firm on Monday morning, an employee told NBC News. He is the brother of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, who is not under investigation.

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