DOJ

The Trump administration’s efforts to curtail congressional oversight of executive branch agencies by individual Members of Congress, including ranking Democratic Members of Committees, ran into significant opposition from an unlikely source:  Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Sen. Grassley’s strong reaction is consistent with…
Continue Reading Grassley Defends Congressional Oversight; House Democrats Turn to Statutory Oversight Authority

Covington today released an updated version of its manual for Chiefs of Staff to Members of Congress concerning best practices for responding to government investigations of Members and their staff.  Titled “A How-To Guide for Chiefs of Staff,” the manual describes how government investigations unfold and the steps that Chiefs…
Continue Reading Covington Updates Investigations Manual for House and Senate Chiefs of Staff

The New York Times, earlier this month, reported that “secret ledgers” in Ukraine show $12.7 million in cash payments designated for former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort from Ukraine’s pro-Russian political party. Days later, the Associated Press reported that Manafort helped the pro-Russian party “secretly route…
Continue Reading Have We Reached A FARA “Tipping Point”?

The Ferrari carrying former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell appears to have made a U-turn this week on its way to the federal penitentiary.  Covington released today a Client Alert on the Supreme Court’s decision in McDonnell v. United States, a decision which vacated Governor McDonnell’s conviction and redraws the…
Continue Reading The Supreme Court Redraws the Lines for Corruption Prosecutions

In a recent letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Department of Justice offered a rare public glimpse into the enforcement activities of the small unit in the Department that enforces the Foreign Agents Registration Act.  Some of the details highlighted in the letter are consistent with observations that we…
Continue Reading New Insights on FARA Enforcement Emerge from DOJ Letter to Sen. Grassley

Last week, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) released a report on the Foreign Agents Registration Act with an attention-grabbing title:  “Loopholes, Filing Failures, and Lax Enforcement: How the Foreign Agents Registration Act Falls Short.”  The tone of the title was echoed in several news reports, including in The Hill…
Continue Reading POGO Report on FARA Misses the Larger Point

For several years, we have been warning clients and others that it was only a matter of time before we would see criminal referrals against lobbyists who fail to register under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”).  Until now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has focused…
Continue Reading Congressional Ethics Office Refers Alleged Unregistered Lobbyist to DOJ

Two public relations firms have filed documents with the Department of Justice revealing that they provided public relations and media services in the United States for the government of Ecuador without being registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as that law requires.  These firms are the latest in…
Continue Reading Two More Public Relations Firms Trip Over the Foreign Agents Registration Act

On March 14, 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia filed a civil complaint in a Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”) enforcement action against an Alexandria, Virginia based lobbying firm.  (Hat tip to Legal Times.)  This is only the second such complaint to be filed.  We reported…
Continue Reading Another Lobbying Firm Hit With LDA Civil Complaint