Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), enacted in 1938 and codified at 22 U.S.C. section 611 and following, requires people who act in the United States as agents of foreign principals in a political or advocacy capacity to register with the DOJ and publicly disclose their activities, finances, and the interests they serve. The law is intended to ensure transparency about foreign influence on American policy and public opinion, and willful violations are federal crimes. Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy charges that included failing to register under FARA for his undisclosed lobbying on behalf of pro-Russian interests.