Three top U.S. lobbyists have ended their lucrative contract representing the Egyptian government, the latest fallout from a Dec. 29 Egyptian raid on U.S and European-backed groups monitoring parliamentary elections there.
Former Reps. Bob Livingston (R-La.) and Toby Moffett (D-Conn.), as well as high-powered Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta, have terminated their lobbying contract with the Egyptian government.
Continue ReadingThe trio split a $90,000-plus per month lobbying contract to represent Egypt?s interests in Washington.
The tipping point for the high-profile lobbyists appears to have been the no-fly order instituted by Egyptian authorities that has prevented as many as 10 U.S. citizens, including the son of Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood, from leaving Egypt. Other elements of the Egyptian government, not the military, appear responsible for that decision. But the end result is a real risk of damaging what has been a longstanding alliance that is important to both Egypt and the United States in the Mideast.
And the loss of powerful friends in Washington will further isolate Egypt at a sensitive point.
Livingston confirmed on Friday night that he, Podesta and Moffett ? who set up the PLM Group to handle the Egyptian contract beginning in 2007 ? have ended the contract, but the former lawmaker declined to offer any further details.
?We all have? Livingston said in an e-mail when asked if his associates have also quit.
The PLM contract with Egypt had become a source of controversy since POLITICO reported earlier this week that a Livingston Group lobbyist had circulated talking points downplaying the Dec. 29 raid. In an earlier interview, Livingston insisted that he was not defending the Egyptian action but making sure members of Congress, Hill staffers, and Obama administration officials were aware of the Egyptian position on the raid, as required by his job as a registered foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
The raid by Egyptian security forces targeted at least 17 foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Egypt. The groups involved included the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, all of which receive millions of dollars in U.S. government funds annually. None of the NGOs have been allowed to reopen their offices at this time and remain under investigation.
Egyptian authorities have also barred a number of Americans working for the NGOs, including Sam LaHood, the son of Transportation Sec. LaHood, from leaving Egypt. The younger LaHood runs the Egypt program for IRI and has been in the country to monitor parliamentary elections, the first since the fall of longtime President Hosni Mubarak last February.
The travel ban, also first reported by POLITICO, has infuriated U.S. officials and lawmakers, who are demanding that the Egyptians reverse their position and allow Sam LaHood and other Americans to exit the country. As of Friday evening, the Egyptians have not yet permitted the Americans to leave.
President Barack Obama and other top administration officials have warned that continued U.S. aid to Egypt, more than $1.5 billion last year alone, is conditioned on whether the Egyptian military ? which took over the country following Mubarak?s ouster ? is successfully transitioning the country to democracy.
Senate Appropriations Committee Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), in a Friday statement to POLITICO, warned that the United States was watching the Egyptian treatment of the foreign NGOs closely.
?It is my sincere hope that the government will reconsider its current actions, especially with regard to non-governmental organizations operating in Egypt, and will choose to continue down a path to genuine democracy for the Egyptian people,? Inouye said.
nazca lines boston marathon rogue trader rogue trader gone in 60 seconds gone in 60 seconds our lady of sorrows
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.