Ken Silverstein has just written an important piece for Harper's Magazine titled Their men in Washington: Undercover with D.C.'s lobbyists for hire. Bill Moyers talked to Silverstein this week on Bill Moyers Journal. From Moyers' web site:
Ken Silverstein, HARPER'S Magazine's Washington Editor, has for years been reporting on the questionable lobbying practices of certain Washington firms that advocate in Congress on behalf of corrupt foreign regimes.
For his latest article, he decided to pose as the representative of a fictitious investment group with business interests in Turkmenistan, and approached several prominent Washington lobbying firms to see how they might bolster the image of Turkmenistan as a viable international economic and diplomatic partner.
In the Harper's article, Silverstein goes into the history of how our govenment while claiming to care about oppressive regimes and the civil liberties of people around the world actually has a pitiful record of cooperating with these governments whether it be military assistance, government aid, expanded trade opportunities or visits by high level officials which bolster the appearance of legitimacy of those governments.
From the Harper's article:
The U.S. General Accounting Office estimated in 1990 that less than half of foreign lobbyists who should register under FARA actually do so, and there is no evidence that matters have improved. In theory, violators can be heavily fined and even sent to prison, but almost no one has been prosecuted for ignoring the act, so there are few risks for non-compliance. Those firms that do register generally reveal little information beyond the names of their clients, the fees they pay, and limited information about whom they contact. Because disclosure requirements are so lax, it is nearly impossible to monitor the activities of foreign lobbyists. What little knowledge we do have of lobbyist-orchestrated diplomacy—including most of the projects discussed above—has been gleaned not from FARA filings but from serendipitous revelations or investigative reporting.
Which leaves Americans to wonder: Exactly what sorts of promises do these firms make to foreign governments? What kind of scrutiny, if any, do they apply to potential clients? How do they orchestrate support for their clients? And how much of their work is visible to Congress and the public, and hence subject to oversight? To shed light on these questions, I decided to approach some top Washington lobbying firms myself, as a potential client, to see whether they would be willing to burnish the public image of a particularly reprehensible regime.
The article goes on to explain how some of the more prominent lobbying groups in Washington DC were more than happy to go to work for Silverstein. From Bill Moyers Journal's web site:
After initially phoning and emailing with four companies, Silverstein eventually met with two prominent Washington firms: APCO and Cassidy & Associates, both of which prepared elaborate Powerpoint presentations and written reports explaining why their firm was the best candidate to bolster the image of the new Turkmenistan government, with very few questions asked.
"It was a vision of just how regimes like Angola and Azerbaijan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, the serial abrogator of 'human dignity,' can make and keep their wealthy American friends. Someday soon, perhaps, the same will happen for Turkmenistan - God and lobbyists willing."
You can watch the entire video of the interview on Bill Moyers Journal at their web site or here:
Bill Moyers Journal: Pay to Play Part 1
Bill Moyers Journal: Pay to Play Part 2
Bill Moyers Journal: Pay to Play Part 3
If the Democratic Congress is really committed to having the most open and honest government we can have, then they need to tighten up the rules on these lobbying firms, and force them to come out into the light of day. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.