Tony Podesta is plotting a comeback after weathering the Trump-Russia scandal.

The illness of Tony Podesta’s $42-million-a-year lobbying and nationalist relations steadfast successful 2017 amid a national probe shook K Street and rendered him toxic — a uncommon Democratic unfortunate of the Trump-era scandals.

But that was lone the opening of his troubles.

Mr. Podesta, agelong an outsized quality successful the power manufacture and Democratic fund-raising, turned to his tremendous postulation of modern creation for solace and income. But erstwhile the pandemic sent the creation marketplace reeling, helium sold the penthouse condo successful Washington helium had been utilizing to amusement and merchantability his collection, and secured a indebtedness from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for struggling tiny businesses.

Discussions astir consulting gigs and a instrumentality to a fund-raising circuit that had turned its backmost connected him were halted by a operation of his declining income, pandemic restrictions and an corruption from genu country that near him hooked to an intravenous antibiotic drip for months.

To apical it off, helium said, his email accounts and website were frozen aft Chinese cyberthieves launched a wide-ranging phishing run utilizing 1 of his domain names.

Now Mr. Podesta is exploring a instrumentality to a scenery helium erstwhile dominated.

The reception helium gets could assistance reply immoderate questions astir beingness successful Washington aft Mr. Trump. Did the backlash to the open access-peddling and corporate influence of the Trump epoch effect successful brighter lines betwixt firm lobbying, fund-raising and governing? Or has the superior simply returned to the clubby civilization successful which lobbyist fund-raisers similar Mr. Podesta held sway?

Early indicators are mixed.