Saudi Arabia Paying American Lobbyists to Spread Anti-Iran Propaganda
(ANTIMEDIA) Though the Saudi Arabian government publicly declared its tentative support for the widely-praised Iran nuclear deal last month, new reports
reveal it is secretly funding propaganda efforts to undermine it. A new
group called the American Security Initiative has spent over $6 million
on advertisements criticizing the deal — using money supplied by the
Saudi monarchy.
The president of the American
Security Initiative Norm Coleman is a former Republican senator who now
runs the lobbying firm, Hogan Lovells. He is a registered lobbyist for
Saudi Arabia and his firm is on retainer for the Saudi monarchy at a
rate of $60,000 per month.
According to The Intercept, “In July 2014, Coleman described
his work as ‘providing legal services to the Royal Embassy of Saudi
Arabia’ on issues including ‘legal and policy developments involving
Iran and limiting Iranian nuclear capability.’”
Other founders of the American Security Initiative include former
Senator Joe Lieberman ( a Democrat) and former Senator Saxby Chambliss
(a Republican), who works at DLA Piper, yet another firm hired to lobby
on behalf of the Saudi monarchy. Opposition to the deal enjoys
bipartisan support.
