The Indian Embassy in Washington has signed a 12-month, $1.8 million contract with lobbying firm SHW Partners LLC to boost its outreach to the Trump administration, according to disclosures reviewed by HT. The firm, headed by former President Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller, is first set to lobby for India in April 2025.
“SHW provides strategic counsel, tactical planning, and government relations assistance on policy matters before the United States Government, the United States Congress, state governments, academic institutions, research centers, and any other relevant stakeholders,” the company said in a filing with the US Department of Justice on June 17.
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The contract began on April 24
Disclosures show that the company’s new contract with the Indian Embassy began on April 24 of this year and will continue until April 23, 2027. SHW Partners was initially retained under a similar agreement covering the period from April 2025 to April 2026, with the Indian Embassy paying the company $450,000 in advance every three months.
Jason Miller, SHW founder and longtime political strategist closely associated with Donald Trump, rose to national prominence in 2016 while serving as Trump’s chief media spokesman. Although he did not join the Trump administration amid controversy, Miller remained a prominent figure within Trump’s political circle. He was an advisor to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and returned as a strategist for the 2024 presidential campaign.
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SHW partners helped India deal with influential officials
According to disclosures made by the company, SHW Partners helped India engage with influential officials in the Trump administration in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 and during Operation Sindoor in May. Among those contacted were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wales, US Trade Representative Jamison Greer, Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby, and then-National Security Council official Ricky Gale.
Following the launch of Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, Ambassador Vinay Kwatra was interviewed by SHW Partners with Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
The company also reached out to various US ministries in June to arrange meetings between Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and senior US officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
During July and August, the company also facilitated engagement with White House officials and US Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss ongoing US-India trade negotiations.
