The SHAME act

[jon-nyc]

A summary from The Dispatch:

Here’s a thought: Maybe we should stop letting lobbyists get paid to influence Americans on behalf of anti-U.S. dictatorships. That’s what a bill pending in Congress would ban, and Josh Robin argues in the Washington Post that the legislation is sorely needed. “When foreign dictatorships try to affect U.S. politics and policy, they often hire former U.S. officials and lawmakers to launder and promote their agenda by petitioning our government, Congress, and society writ large,” Rogin writes. “Under the current rules, so long as Americans who are advocating for foreign governments, politicians and corporations disclose these activities, they can legally be paid to work against America’s interests.” Does the legislation jibe with the First Amendment? “Nobody is arguing that exercising free speech, even on behalf of an anti-U.S. dictatorship, should be illegal,” Rogin writes. “But neither do Americans have an explicit right to profit from working for the United States’ enemies.”

WaPo article they reference here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/05/stop-foreign-dictator-lobbying-racket/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

[Mik]

Then we get into the slippery slope of defining whom may not be represented. Not such a great idea.

[jon-nyc]

I think that list is already used for certain trade restrictions, the WaPo piece mentions that the bill references the Commerce Department’s list of ‘adversaries’ which now includes China Russia NK Cuba Iran and Venezuela.

[Doctor Phibes]

I'm pretty sure that if a President or former President thinks inside his head that an enemy State is now a friendly State, then that thought becomes reality.

[Mik]

@jon-nyc said in The SHAME act:

I think that list is already used for certain trade restrictions, the WaPo piece mentions that the bill references the Commerce Department’s list of ‘adversaries’ which now includes China Russia NK Cuba Iran and Venezuela.

Trade restrictions are one thing, but lobbyists bring information, and information on an adversary's needs can be leverage.