DOJ Revives Push to Rewrite FARA Rules

Covington FARA lawyer Alexandra Langton was quoted in a Politico Influence report on the Department of Justice considering substantive changes to rules under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for the first time in decades, leaving K Street guessing on what that could mean for lawyers and lobbyists.

Alexandra said that a 644-page document published by the DOJ — which came out just days after Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general — was a "clear indication" that he intended to reprioritize FARA enforcement, a contrast from his predecessor Pam Bondi, who on her first day as attorney general issued a memo stating the DOJ would only bring charges under FARA in instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.

"Some practitioners have thought that this rulemaking was dead on the vine under the Trump administration," Alexandra told PI. "So it's pretty significant that they're going to move forward with it."