Google hires former Rep. Susan Molinari to lead Washington office

Google has picked former GOP Rep. Susan Molinari (N.Y.) to lead its policy team for North and South America.

Molinari, an experienced Washington insider, will take her post as Google is coming under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over privacy issues. Most recently, the company has come under fire for its plan to consolidate its privacy policies into a single document, which will allow it to share user information across its various services.

Google, which offers its services for free, depends on targeted advertising for much of its revenue.

The Federal Trade Commission is probing whether Google has run afoul of antitrust law by engaging in anticompetitive businesses practices. A government antitrust case against Microsoft in the early 2000s sapped the company of resources and talent and helped pave the way for Google's rise.

"I am excited about Susan joining Google. She's a true trailblazer and her enthusiasm for our technology and its potential to change lives will be a real asset to our team in the Americas," David Drummond, Google's senior vice president and chief legal officer, said.

After her father, former Rep. Guy Molinari (R-N.Y.), left Congress to become borough president of Staten Island, Molinari was elected to his seat in 1990. She was the keynote speaker at the 1996 Republican Convention and served until 1997, when she resigned to join CBS as a television journalist.

She joined the Washington Group lobby firm in 2001 and launched her own lobbyist shop, Susan Molinari Strategies, in 2010. She currently serves as chairman of the Century Council, which fights to reduce drunken driving.

Molinari is married to former Rep. Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.), who served as chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee in the 1990s and is now a lobbyist at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

By picking a well-connected Republican to run its public policy team, Google is taking another step towards shedding its image as a company aligned with Democrats. 

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is a top supporter of Obama and advised him during his 2008 campaign. But with so much at stake in legislation and policy, Google needs to be able to work both sides of the aisle, especially now that Republicans control the House. 

Molinari will replace Alan Davidson, who helped open Google's Washington, D.C., office in 2005. 

The company was rumored to be looking for a former lawmaker to take over its lobbying operations, with former Reps. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.) often mentioned as contenders. 

Google has ramped up its lobbying presence dramatically in recent years. The company spent $9.7 million on lobbying in 2011, an increase of 88 percent over 2010 levels, disclosure records show.

The Web giant spent more than $3.7 million on lobbying in the fourth quarter, when controversial online piracy bills were moving through the House and Senate. Google vocally opposed the legislative push, and helped to derail it by participating in an attention-grabbing online protest.

— This story was updated at 3:47 p.m.