Matthew Sanderson Comments on Limiting FARA Enforcement in New York Times

The Trump administration could not have gotten off to a better start for people accused of violating foreign lobbying and bribery laws.

In the days after President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi issued directives limiting the enforcement of those laws, lawyers for people accused of such violations — including Trump allies — have scrambled to capitalize on the moment.

. . .

Others are predicting a return to the anything-goes approach to FARA that pervaded the foreign influence industry before the special counsel’s investigation led to a clampdown in the first Trump administration.

“This feels a little like turning back the clock to the pre-Mueller era,” Matthew T. Sanderson, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale who advises clients on FARA compliance, said in an email.

Still, he said, Ms. Bondi’s guidance did not actually change the law, and it could be lifted at any moment, setting the stage for the resumption of more aggressive enforcement.

For the full article, please visit The New York Times’ website.