10/31/2017

2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN/LOBBYING/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “An industry group for lobbyists on Tuesday [10-31-17] called on Congress to overhaul the transparency laws that govern their activity in the wake of indictments of two lobbyists, including Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump.
Charges filed by Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller alleged Manafort and business partner Rick Gates failed to properly disclose lobbying for a foreign government…
Manafort, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates pleaded not guilty on Monday to a 12-count indictment that contained charges ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine’s former pro-Russian government.
NILE has previously encouraged Congress to close loopholes in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, known as LDA, to make lobbying more transparent by subjecting more activity to disclosure and requiring lobbyists to reveal when an intermediary hires them on behalf of another organization.
Two separate laws require lobbying disclosure: The LDA, which covers domestic interests, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act, under which Manafort was charged and requires disclosure for lobbying on behalf of foreign entities.”

-Ginger Gibson, “U.S. lobbying trade group urges Congress to revamp disclosure laws,” Reuters, Oct. 31, 2017 09:13am