July 16, 2020

Contact: Michael Beckel, Research Director

mbeckel@issueoneaction.org, p: 202-888-6770

Trump raises campaign cash from lobbyists on payroll of foreign governments, despite campaign pledge not to 

An Issue One Action analysis of campaign finance filings shows that President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection effort has raised at least $1.2 million from two individuals registered to lobby on behalf of foreign governments such as Qatar, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.

As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump pledged to implement “a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections” as part of his promise to “drain the swamp.” 

“Donald Trump was right to call for a ban on political fundraising by lobbyists working on behalf of foreign governments and foreign interests,” said Issue One Action CEO Nick Penniman. “This should have been an easy promise for President Trump to keep. Rejecting campaign cash from individuals who lobby on behalf of foreign interests would send a powerful signal at a time when so many Americans are worried about foreign interference in our elections.”

Like all federal political committees, Trump Victory — a joint fundraising committee that supports Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) — is required by law to publicly identify any registered lobbyists who raise money on its behalf, along with how much campaign cash they have “bundled.”

Through the end of June, Trump Victory has reported having eleven lobbyist-bundlers raising money on its behalf. These individuals have combined to raise about $8.5 million. 

According to an Issue One Action review of federal records, two of these eleven bundlers are registered under the Foreign Agents Registrations Act to lobby on behalf of foreign governments:

• Brian Ballard of Ballard Partners, who has raised $1.1 million for Trump Victory, including nearly $600,000 during the first half of 2020. Ballard’s foreign clients in recent years have included the governments of the Dominican Republic, Kosovo, Mali, Nigeria, and Turkey, as well as the tourism board of the Maldives, the embassies of Azerbaijan and Qatar, and the foreign minister of Zimbabwe.

• David Tamasi of the Chartwell Strategy Group, who has raised about $150,000 for Trump Victory, including more than $100,000 during the first half of 2020. Tamasi’s foreign clients currently include the government of Georgia and the ministry of foreign affairs of Kosovo.

By law, all federal candidates must reveal the identities of lobbyists who bundle campaign cash on their behalf. 

Issue One Action’s “Spotlight on the Swamp” report urges Congress to pass legislation to require all individuals who bundle money for candidates to be disclosed, not just lobbyists who raise money for campaigns. 

Additionally, the report calls for Congress to adopt legislation to prohibit lobbyists from bundling contributions or engaging in fundraising on behalf of candidates.

Both of those measures would help drain the swamp.