Vitter among foreign agents paid to ease sanctions on Russian oligarch's firm

[dixiegrrrrl]

Foreign agents running a lobbying and influence operation to ease U.S. sanctions on companies tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska were paid $543,958 over the past six months, according to newly released Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) disclosures made available through the Center for Responsive Politics’ Foreign Lobby Watch tool.

At the crux of the operation is former Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who left the Senate in 2017 and quickly entered the revolving door. Despite a two-year “cooling off” period that restricts Senators from immediately lobbying their colleagues under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, Vitter is still able to lobby other key figures in the Trump administration.

In May 2018, Lord Gregory Barker of Battle, a member of the British House of Lords and chairman of En+ Group — a Russian energy company formerly controlled by Deripaska — inked a six-figure-per-month contract with Mercury Public Affairs to lobby for the removal of U.S. sanctions imposed for Deripaska’s role in Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barker has paid the firm more than $650,000 since May.

Vitter received 12 reported disbursements from Barker in June and July 2018, eight of which were for client meetings. In April, Vitter had several meetings with State Department and Treasury Department officials briefing them on Barker’s situation.
Among his activities, Vitter sent form letters to ambassadors from Australia, Germany, Jamaica and Sweden, urging them to press federal offices on behalf of the sanctioned company.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/01/senator-david-vitter-among-foreign-agents-sanctions-on-russian-oligarch/

The lobbying firm, Mercury Public Affairs, has a lot of interesting Russia connections, some are outlined in the article.

[malaise]

1. And as soon as he delivered for the turtle

his unqualified wife made it to the Federal Judiciary

[mitch96]

2. I saw that also.. pay to play politics...

Lets see where else oligarch money pays off repukes for killing the sanctions.. We already know about tRump/mcTurtle and vitter...
m

[badhair77]

4. Exactly.

I can’t take much more of this swampiness.

[malaise]

7. I've never seen anything like this

This gang is trying to grab as much as they can as fast as they can

[delisen]

3. I consider any former legislator who becomes a lobbyist for a foreign govt

to be suspect; that includes state legislators too. Same for anyone high-up in the executive branch


In the State of Washington a sitting member of the legislature is a registered lobbyist for Cambodia

A company created by state Sen. Doug Ericksen has landed a $500,000 lobbying contract from the Cambodian government he praised last year during a controversial visit as an election observer.

Ericksen, R-Ferndale, registered as a foreign agent for the kingdom of Cambodia in an April 3 filing with the U.S. Justice Department, along with former state Rep. Jay Rodne, R-Snoqualmie.

The registration was made under a company called PacRim Bridges LLC. State records show Ericksen and Rodne are the sole owners of the firm, created in late 2017. The contract with Cambodia was first reported Friday by POLITICO.

Cambodia will pay $500,000 a year to Ericksen’s company in monthly installments of $41,660, according to their contract. In exchange, the company will meet with state and federal officials “to promote improved relations between the USA and the Kingdom of Cambodia and legislation that promotes improved relations.”

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/state-sen-doug-ericksen-gets-500000-lobbying-contract-from-cambodian-government-he-praised/

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Usually the republicans up there have kept themselves to the eastern side of the Cascades.

but...again, since Reagan....they spread everywhere.

[Bettie]

5. So, he's an agent of a foreign government now

and his wife is a federal judge?

Why does this seem...I don't know, not right?

[UTUSN]

6. K&R