In one of his first official acts, President Biden signed an executive order that sets stringent ethics rules for incoming executive branch appointees. The Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel...more
1/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Ethics ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Governments ,
Golden Parachutes ,
Lobbying ,
Obama Administration ,
OMB ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has, for the first time, released largely unredacted determinations regarding whether specific identified parties are subject to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA or the Act)....more
In the wake of a global law firm entering into a multimillion-dollar settlement for failing to register as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA or the act), other law firms have...more
3/3/2020
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Exemptions ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Government Investigations ,
Legal Representatives ,
Lobbying ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
National Security ,
Registration Requirement ,
Reporting Requirements
With the 2020 election season already underway, there are new opportunities emerging for companies that choose to harness political engagement as an important, innovative component of their business strategy. As more...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released for the first time dozens of advisory opinions issued by the FARA Registration Unit, the DOJ agency responsible for administering the Foreign Agents Registration Act of...more
6/19/2018
/ Advisory Opinions ,
CFIUS ,
Commercial Activity Exception ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Governments ,
Inspector General ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
Registration Requirement ,
US State Departments
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) took a step last week toward clarifying the “paid for by” and other disclaimer requirements that apply to political advertisements that appear on digital media. At its meeting on March...more
We all know to avoid the topic of politics with family and friends at the holidays, but in recent months, American companies and the CEOs who lead them have spoken publicly on social and political issues like never before....more
U.S. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley introduced the “Disclosing Foreign Influence Act” last week, a Senate bill which would amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), to remove an exemption from registration...more
In recent weeks, America’s CEOs have spoken out on social issues like never before, placing the business community firmly within the national debate. Likewise, companies are feeling internal and external pressures to...more
9/12/2017
/ Campaign Finance Reform ,
CEOs ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Ethics ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Lobbying ,
PACs ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Expression ,
Publicly-Traded Companies
Change has come to Washington, D.C. and state legislatures around the country. The fast pace of political changes ushered in during early 2017 can create both challenges and opportunities when it comes to complying with the...more
The Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the U.S. Department of Justice has updated its website to make available to the public searchable and downloadable informational materials filed by foreign agents. Informational...more
In this update, we summarize the current rules on providing gifts to federal executive branch officials and employees, including amendments to those rules effective January 1, 2017. The executive branch gift and travel rules...more
On January 28, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order setting new ethics commitments for incoming executive branch appointees (Ethics Executive Order or the Executive Order). Pursuant to the Executive Order, incoming...more
The 2016 election season is fast approaching. As companies begin to plan their political participation for the coming year, government affairs staff and compliance counsel should closely consider whether there are any...more