THESAURUS
pull strings
act on, angle, approach, bear upon, contrive, draw, draw on, engineer, exert influence, finagle, gerrymander, get cozy with, intrigue, jockey, lead on, lobby, lobby through, machinate, magnetize, make advances, make overtures, make up to, maneuver, manipulate, play games, plot, scheme, wangle, wire-pull, work on