WASHINGTON • Washington lawmakers can do little, if anything, to stop InBev’s proposed $47.5 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch Cos. But don’t tell that to InBev CEO Carlos Brito.

Before the Belgian beer executive landed in Washington this week, his company hired a phalanx of lobbyists and public relations consultants to help him navigate the potential political minefield.

Ratcheting up its bid for A-B, the beer giant recently hired at least two Washington lobbying firms and two politically wired public relations shops.

Among those helping InBev with strategy in Washington: former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and former Sen. John Breaux, D-La.; Sean Richardson, a one-time policy aide to former Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-St. Louis; and the Glover Park Group, a media firm that has strong ties to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

"What they're doing … is trying to get opportunities for us to talk to people who are really key stakeholders in this whole process," Brito said of his new lobbying team Wednesday, after meeting with Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country. Brito was ushered to that session by a former House leadership aide, Michael Boland, and Anne Womack Kolton, a one-time spokeswoman for Vice President Dick Cheney.

InBev's new hires reflect the significance of the firm's proposed takeover and the strong level of political opposition. Even if lawmakers can't stop the acquisition, it's a savvy business move for InBev to try to ease political opposition as it woos the real decision-makers, A-B's board and stockholders.

Indeed, Brito got an earful from Missouri lawmakers as he made the rounds this week.

"I told him … 'This Bud's not for you,'" said Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo. "I laid out my concerns for the line

workers, the farmers who supply Anheuser-Busch, the small businesses (that supply it), as well as the St. Louis community."

Bond is among those pushing for the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize the proposed purchase for antitrust implications.

Bond said "it wouldn't matter" who InBev hired, he still will oppose the deal.

Akin said he told Brito that because of A-B's status as a "great corporate citizen" and St. Louis institution, the deal was bound to spark fierce opposition.

A-B is "so much a part of our community, anything that's threatening that is going to be a nonstarter in St. Louis," Akin said he told Brito. "I tried to give (him) a sense that this isn't your normal business deal."

But calming the political waters isn't the only reason for InBev to ramp up.

A-B has a formidable political presence in Washington, with about a dozen lobbying firms registered to represent the St. Louis brewery, according to recent lobbying reports.

A-B's lobbyists include Gephardt, several of his former aides, and a small army of other high-level ex-congressional staffers. In 2007, A-B spent more than $3 million on lobbying, and so far this year, the company's political action committee and employees have given more than $1 million in political contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group.

"They've got a huge, and I mean monstrous, Washington presence, whereas InBev had none," said one source close to the InBev team. "It's just a smart move" to hire a lobbying team, not to mention "standard Washington protocol," this source said.

Other InBev consultants did not return calls for comment.

In a statement, Gary Rutledge, A-B's vice president for legal and government affairs, said, "Anheuser-Busch has for many years maintained a significant presence in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols throughout the country, and remains well-prepared to effectively represent the interests of the company and its shareholders on all key issues."

dshesgreen@post-dispatch.com

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