- New foreign lobbying tops $8 million in June; Ex-reporters spin for Kazakhstan in $500 million legal battle; MSLGroup discloses past Mexico work
New foreign influence contracts top $8 million in June
What recession?
Foreign governments disclosed lobbying and public relations contracts worth more than $8 million last month, according to a Foreign Lobby Report analysis. That’s up from $7 million last month.
Leading the pack are a pair of hefty PR contracts to promote the initiatives of Gulf Arab royals. Turkey rounds out the top three with a $1.1 million annual contract between the embassy and its longtime law firm Saltzman & Evinch, which was recently forced to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Check out the full list here.
Kazakhstan law firm hires ex-journalists for ‘fair and balanced coverage’ of $500 million energy suit
The Wall Street Journal‘s former top foreign correspondent and an ex-CBS broadcaster are part of a public relations team charged with guaranteeing “fair and balanced coverage” of Kazakhstan’s legal tussle with disgruntled energy investors.
Jay Solomon and Kent Jarrell are part of the APCO Worldwide team retained by Herbert Smith Freehills, a law firm working for the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan. The Central Asian country is fighting a $500 million arbitration award in favor of Moldovan businessman Anatolie Stati and other investors.
Read the story here.
Today’s filings
NEW FOREIGN LOBBYING FILINGS (FARA)
Mexico: MSLGROUP Americas has now disclosed its contracts on behalf of the Tourism Council of Mexico covering the years 2013 to 2018. The firm says it did so to “correct a deficiency,” suggesting the Department of Justice asked for the documents.
Qatar: Former US Ambassador to Qatar Charles Untermeyer has amended his disclosure for work as a Texas adviser to the Qatari Embassy in Washington. A previous disclosure included political activities that were unrelated to his work for Qatar.
Holland & Knight disclosed a $2,800 contribution for Joe Biden‘s 2020 presidential run that was subsequently refunded by the campaign, which does not accept money from lobbyists. The attorney who made the contribution, Jame Davis, is a registered foreign agent for the Embassy of Pakistan.