Bill Introduced to Toughen Foreign Lobbying Oversight After Manafort Indictment

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has long raised Flags about Enforcement of Foreign Lobbyist Registration, and he held a Hearing on the subject in July that initially was expected to include Testimony from Paul Manafort. Grassley introduces a Bill to Toughen Foreign Lobbying Oversight after Manafort Indictment.

A Day after former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort was Indicted on Charges that included Failing to Register as a Foreign Agent, a top Senate Republican introduced Legislation Tuesday intended to stiffen Enforcement of Federal Rules for Foreign Lobbyists.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to Propose Identical Bills they said would Address Ambiguous Requirements for those Lobbying on Behalf of Foreign Governments. That Ambiguity has, over the years, Led to a Sharp Drop in the Number of Registrations and the Prospect of Widespread Abuses, they said.

The New Bills would Empower the Department of Justice to Enforce Registrations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act by Demanding the Production of Documents and Testimony to ensure Compliance. They also would Eliminate a Broad Exemption from Registration established in 1995 and Charge Department of Justice (DOJ) with Developing a Comprehensive Enforcement Strategy, which would be reviewed by the Department’s Inspector General and later by the Government Accountability Office.

Grassley has long raised Flags about Enforcement of Foreign Lobbyist Registration, and he held a Hearing on the Subject in July that initially was expected to include Testimony from Manafort, though in the End he did not Appear. Grassley said Monday, after Manafort’s Indictment, that he was pleased to see DOJ using its Enforcement Power. An Aide said the Release of the Bill Tuesday, though, was in the Works well before Grassley was aware of the Pending Charges. “Policy makers are here to serve the interests of the American people, so we need to know when someone is pushing the priorities of a foreign interest,” Grassley said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen time and again how lobbyists of foreign principals skirt existing disclosure laws to conceal their clients’ identities and agendas.”

CLICK HERE to read the 34 page (pdf) Bill.









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