Ex-Trump campaign adviser accused of failing to share link to foreign government: records

A campaign adviser for former President Donald Trump was charged Tuesday with violating federal public disclosure laws regarding foreign agents, according to court records and reports.

GOP lobbyist Barry Bennett stands accused in Washington D.C.'s federal court of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the court filing.

"[Bennett] did knowingly and willfully falsify, conceal, and cover up by a trick, scheme, and device material facts in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit," writes U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.

In August, several reports claimed that the Department of Justice was investigating Bennett's connections to a group called Yemen Crisis Watch in 2017, which was set up to embarrass the country's rivals.

The reports said he received $250,000 from the Embassy of Qatar, but did not, register the group under foreign lobbying laws.

The charges are linked to Avenue Strategies Global LLC, a lobbying firm Bennett, who was an unpaid adviser, opened with Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski after the 2016 election, according to a Politico report.

"The firm’s international wing, Avenue Strategies Global, represented a host of big-spending clients over the years, including Citgo, Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko, and the governments of Qatar and Zimbabwe," Politico wrote in a 2021 story about the freezing of Bennett's assets.

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Avenue Strategies closed down shortly after President Joe Biden's inauguration, according to the report.

Kyle Cheney, the Politico reporter who first spotted the filing, said Tuesday the format of the filing suggested a plea deal was pending. He noted it was not a complaint.