The National Law Journal Quotes Melissa Laurenza on FBI’s Expanded Role in “Foreign Agent” Reviews
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Akin Gump public law and policy partner Melissa Laurenza has been quoted by The National Law Journal in the article “‘They’re Beefing Up’: FBI Takes Expanded Role in ‘Foreign Agent’ Reviews.” The article reports on the FBI’s greater role in efforts to ensure that lawyers, lobbyists and political consultants are fully revealing their advocacy for government clients.
According to the NLJ, FBI personnel have joined officials from the Justice Department in inspections authorized under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)—a decades-old law requiring the disclosure of lobbying and other influence work for foreign governments.
With the FBI’s entry into inspections, the Justice Department’s FARA unit is “getting teeth” in compliance reviews targeting those who have already registered as foreign agents, said Laurenza, who advises clients on FARA.
“They’re beefing up,” Laurenza added. “I think, going forward, we’re going to see them be more aggressive. I think we’re going to see more activity out of them than we’ve seen in the past.”
