Qorvis MSLGROUP

NY Tea Party Leader Aided Saudi Drive to Change 9/11 Justice Law

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Stephen Flanagan, founder of Long Island-based Conservative Society for Action, says he didn’t know it was a Saudi operation

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Stephen Flanagan

Stephen Flanagan, a Long Island Tea Party leader who chaired a 2010 Republican Senate campaign, used his organization’s platform to aid a Saudi-led drive to alter the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA)—but says he wasn’t told he was doing so on behalf of the kingdom accused of facilitating the 9/11 attacks.

Flanagan is the founder and executive director of Conservative Society for Action, and was the focus of a lengthy 2011 Politico profile on the Tea Party movement in New York. Continue reading →

Consultant Used Facebook To Recruit Others to Saudi Cause, Didn’t Disclose Kingdom’s Role

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Former Maryland GOP Communications Director Chevy Weiss May Have Violated Foreign Agents Registration Act

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Chevy Weiss with Former GOP Chair Michael Steele

As 9/11 families and survivors await the disposition of a March complaint filed with the Department of Justice alleging broad misconduct by consultants working for Saudi Arabia, 28Pages.org continues to find new examples of apparent violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

The latest discovery: Political consultant Yocheved “Chevy” Weiss, a registered agent of Saudi Arabia, used Continue reading →

Saudi Arabia Paid Conservative PR Firm $90,000 to Bring Vets to DC to Lobby Against JASTA

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Firm owned by National Republican Trust PAC director Scott Wheeler months late in registering with the Department of Justice

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Saudi Arabia paid a conservative political consulting firm $90,000 to bring three groups of 25 to 35 military veterans to Washington to lobby for changes to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), according to disclosure documents recently filed with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Enacted in September 2016, JASTA cleared the way for 9/11 families and survivors to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged support of the attacks. Action in the lawsuit resumed last month. Continue reading →

DOJ Complaint Filed Over Saudi Lobbying Campaign That Exploited Military Veterans

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Legal action follows 28Pages.org’s revelation that veterans were tricked into unwittingly lobbying for Saudi Arabia

By Brian P. McGlinchey

A group of 9/11 families and survivors has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, suggesting broad misconduct in a lobbying campaign the firm has conducted on behalf of Saudi Arabia.

According to the 17-page complaint, individuals associated with Qorvis MSLGroup violated several provisions of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as they worked to weaken a law that cleared the way for 9/11 families and victims to sue the kingdom for its alleged role in the September 11 attacks. Continue reading →

EXCLUSIVE: Veterans Say Organizers Concealed Saudi Sponsorship of Their Trip to DC to Lobby for Changes to 9/11 Lawsuit Legislation

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“The Evidence Was Overwhelming That We Were Being Used As Pawns,” Says Iraq Vet

Lobbyists May Be Planning to Kill 9/11 Suits Against Kingdom by Restricting Lawyers’ Compensation

Senior Leader of Military Order of the Purple Heart Working for Saudi Lobbyists for $100,000 Fee

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Three veterans who were flown to Washington as part of a Saudi-sponsored campaign to lobby for changes to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) say organizers of the event concealed the Saudi role in the initiative. Continue reading →