Full Breakdown
New Memoir Sheds Light on K-Street’s Campaign-Style Lobbying
8/13/2026, 1:12:18 AM
Core Event – Upcoming Book Details a Decade with Manafort and Stone
Lobbyist K. Riva Levinson is set to publish *Misadventures on K Street: My Decade With the Architects of Modern Political Scandal* in February through Heresy Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. The manuscript promises to combine confidential client memos, photographs, and personal recollections to portray the inner workings of the Washington lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly during its ascent in the 1980s and early-1990s. Levinson describes the work as an “origin story” for contemporary lobbying, emphasizing the moral ambiguities she observed while traveling for clients ranging from African governments to rebel movements.
Background & Context – The Firm’s Campaign-Style Turn
Founded in the Reagan era, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly recruited former political operatives, including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, who later became central figures in Donald Trump’s circle. According to Levinson, the firm transplanted campaign tactics—rapid messaging, coalition building, and aggressive media outreach—into advocacy work, reshaping traditional lobbying. Both Manafort and Stone were eventually convicted of federal crimes and later pardoned by President Trump. Their legacy, Levinson argues, continues to shape the “whisper network” that influences current Washington policy.
Key Figures – Who Is Involved
- K. Riva Levinson – former associate at Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly; founder of KRL Consulting, registered lobbyist and foreign agent for Liberia, Ghana, and private-sector projects such as the Africa Finance Corp’s Lobito Corridor.
- Paul Manafort – co-founder of the firm, former campaign manager for multiple Republican candidates, later convicted of financial crimes.
- Roger Stone – co-founder, longtime Trump adviser, also convicted and pardoned.
- Bernard Schweizer – director of Heresy Press, overseeing the book’s publication.
- Riain Ross-Hager – Harvard Library archivist for former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who encouraged Levinson to expand her memoirs.
- Abel Chivukuvuku – former UNITA foreign secretary from Angola, featured in Levinson’s narrative as a client who survived renewed conflict.
Official Statements & Responses – Publisher, Scholar, and Client Perspectives
Bernard Schweizer described the forthcoming work as “uncompromising in its truth-telling” and highlighted its willingness to push conventional boundaries. Riain Ross-Hager praised Levinson for drawing readers into the personalities and pressures behind modern political influence, calling the account vivid and unflinching. Abel Chivukuvuku contributed a blurb asserting that the book fills a crucial gap in Angola’s historical record, emphasizing its value for understanding the nation’s rebel legacy.
Impact & Outlook – Why the Memoir Matters
Levinson’s claim that she preserved 24 boxes of internal documents—materials the firm was instructed to discard—suggests the memoir could contain primary evidence of lobbying strategies and foreign-agent activities that have rarely been disclosed. By linking the firm’s early campaign-style methods to today’s lobbying boom, the book may offer scholars and policymakers a clearer view of how former campaign operatives have shaped legislative advocacy. Levinson also notes that the influence of Manafort and Stone persists in current Washington circles, implying that the memoir could inform ongoing debates about lobbying reform and foreign-agent transparency.
