FARA's Big Finish

At the beginning of the year, we predicted that 2022 would be the next big year for the Department of Justice's (DOJ) enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). And 2022 delivered, though not always in ways that DOJ expected. But in spite of some setbacks, DOJ is capping off its big year with a bang. In the past month alone, DOJ:

• Arrested former U.S. Representative David Rivera for failing to register under FARA as an agent of the Venezuelan government;
• Called for eliminating the heavily used Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) exemption to FARA registration;
• Confirmed it is scrutinizing LDA filings for potential FARA violations;
• Announced its support for legislative amendments to FARA;