Former Trump Campaign Manager Starts Consulting Firm Near White House

— -- Two former senior Trump advisers announced Wednesday that they will be forming a government relations and consulting firm one block from the White House, and not joining the administration.

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager who remains in the president-elect’s orbit, has formed Avenue Strategies with Barry Bennett, a former adviser to Ben Carson’s presidential campaign who also advised Trump’s White House bid.

"I will always be President-elect Trump’s biggest supporter," Lewandowski said in a statement, adding that he had considered "multiple opportunities" in the administration before opting to open his own consulting firm.

"My goal is to make sure the priorities of the Trump agenda become reality," he said.

Lewandowski’s announcement comes as Trump ally and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the president-elect is no longer interested in repeating his campaign pledge to "drain the swamp" in Washington.

"I'm told he now just disclaims that. He now says it was cute, but he doesn't want to use it anymore," he said in an interview with NPR.

The biographies of both Bennett and Lewandowski on the newly-formed company's website highlight the strategic and media approaches used for both Ben Carson and Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election cycle.

Avenue Strategies, according to a description on its website, is a "full service government affairs and political consulting firm" that provides "client-tailored strategy and guidance carefully designed to help our clients navigate our government."