Matthew Sanderson Comments on Foreign Agents

Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, has told Salon that he created two new companies last year amid his work on Trump's behalf trying to dig up damaging information on Joe Biden in Ukraine. The purpose of the companies, especially that of Giuliani's brand new one-man law firm - as well as their possible connections to the president - is somewhat unclear.

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Matt Sanderson, a top FARA law attorney, told Salon that despite reams of reports, and Giuliani's history of peddling known Russian disinformation about both Joe Biden and his son Hunter, there isn't enough public information to determine whether Giuliani's work in Ukraine would qualify him, or OAN, as foreign agents.

"We would have to know if anyone acting on behalf of foreign interests, especially someone tied to the government, paid for or directed that work," Sanderson said.

OAN, as a U.S. media company, is exempt from registering as an agent. Sanderson, however, pointed to a recent episode involving former CNN host Larry King, who conducted a blatantly unethical interview with Russian journalist Anastasia Dolgova that was filmed in two parts: King's scripted questions, and then Dolgova's answers.

King's exposure, Sanderson told ProPublica, might hinge on whether he was "acting in his capacity as a member of the news media," or was "doing an infomercial where he's paid specifically to do the interview." The same might apply here to OAN, Sanderson said.

Matthew Sanderson is also a Member of the Political Law Group at Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered.

For the full article, please visit Salon's website.