GOP money man pleads guilty on foreign influence charge – By Ben Schreckinger (Politico) / Oct 20 2020
Elliott Broidy, a former rainmaker for the Republican National Committee, acknowledged violating foreign lobbying laws.
A top Republican fundraiser has pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Elliott Broidy, a former deputy finance chairman for the Republican National Committee, conspired with others to influence the federal government on behalf of Malaysian financier Jho Low, he acknowledged on Tuesday.
Criminal charges for violations of the 1938 law had been rare in recent decades, and charges of conspiracy to violate FARA even rarer: As Broidy’s plea agreement notes, there are no applicable sentencing guidelines for the charge.
But FARA has come to the fore in President Donald Trump’s Washington, where global money and influence have flowed especially freely. The Justice Department signaled last year its intent to tighten enforcement, following the high-profile prosecutions of Trump lieutenants Paul Manafort and Rick Gates for charges that stemmed from their foreign lobbying work.
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