DC Firm Working On Behalf of Foreign Country Demands Changes in Op-Ed

A prominent Washington, D.C., law firm has been working on behalf of the Qatari-owned broadcasting network Al Jazeera, prompting questions from a congressional office as to whether the firm has disclosed this relationship under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

The firm, DLA Piper, recently sent a letter on behalf of Al Jazeera to the office of Rep. Jack Bergman (R., Mich.) demanding he issue a series of corrections to a recent op-ed accusing Al Jazeera of peddling anti-Semitic and anti-American rhetoric, according to a copy of emails exchanged between DLA Piper and Bergman's office viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Al Jazeera is owned by Qatar and routinely disseminates the country's anti-Israel propaganda. Congress recently passed legislation to compel greater disclosure and transparency by foreign-owned broadcasters operating in the United States. Several foreign government-owned broadcasters registered; Al Jazeera has thus far not done so.

The exchange comes in the midst of heightening scrutiny of Qatar's high-dollar efforts to influence policy and public opinion in prominent Washington circles. Al Jazeera recently ran an undercover report on American Jews and pro-Israel officials in D.C., efforts that prompted several members of Congress to demand an investigation.