WASHINGTON – Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Judiciary
Committee member Mike Johnson (R-La.) today introduced legislation to improve
transparency and accountability of agents working on behalf of foreign
principals to influence American policy. The Disclosing Foreign Influence
Act corrects longstanding loopholes exploited by lobbyists of foreign
entities to conceal their work to influence U.S. government activities. The
legislation strengthens the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by
clarifying reporting requirements, authorizing important investigative tools
and establishing new enforcement safeguards.
“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.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen time and again how lobbyists of foreign principals
skirt existing disclosure laws to conceal their clients’ identities and
agendas. Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act to prevent
inappropriate influence in domestic policy, but my oversight work has uncovered
rampant disregard by foreign agents and lackluster enforcement by federal
authorities. This bill seeks to correct those flaws by improving enforcement,
compliance and oversight of FARA,” Grassley said.
“Properly
enforcing our disclosure laws and ending irresponsible exemptions is critical
to maintaining the integrity of our political system as well as our national
security. Hostile foreign nations have long sought to exploit every avenue when
attempting to undermine the United States. Our bill ensures that those working
with foreign nations appropriately disclose their relationships – ensuring
transparency and protecting the democratic process,” Johnson said.
FARA requires any
person(s) in the United States working on behalf of a foreign principal, such
as an individual, corporation, organization, government or political campaign
or party to disclose their affiliations and related activities with the Justice
Department. However the Justice Department Inspector General reported that the
Justice Department lacks a comprehensive enforcement strategy and has generally
failed to aggressively use existing enforcement tools. Further, changes made to
the law in 1995 have created ambiguity in registration requirements for foreign
agents, which have been exploited, leading to a dramatic drop in registrations.
The
Disclosing Foreign Influence Act addresses these shortcomings by
clarifying registration obligations of foreign agents, improving investigative
tools for federal officials, such as granting civil investigative demand
authority, and providing new reporting requirements on the implementation of
the law. To ensure accountability, the bill includes certain mechanisms to
oversee the Department’s new investigative tools. The legislation also requires
the Justice Department to develop a comprehensive FARA enforcement strategy.
Grassley
first raised concerns about FARA enforcement in 2015 and
held an oversight hearing on FARA enforcement in July to
examine how Congress can better ensure compliance. In March 2017, Johnson
chaired a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Examining Systemic Management
and Fiscal Challenges within the Department of Justice.” He
highlighted existing failures in FARA
and asked the Justice Department Inspector General and the Government
Accountability Office to assist in finding commonsense solutions to problems in
the statute. The law has gained renewed attention following investigations into
foreign meddling in U.S. democratic processes.
Government
Accountability Office Reports:
·
1974 GAO Report:
Effectiveness of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, of 1938 As Amended, and
Its Administration by the Department of Justice
·
2008 GAO report:
Post-Government Employment Restrictions and Foreign Agent Registration
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