Report: Trump Appointee Is Still a Saudi Government Lobbyist

A new Trump appointee is still a registered agent of Saudi Arabia and has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby on the kingdom’s behalf, according to Department of Justice records. The Saudi Arabian foreign ministry has paid Richard Hohlt—a longtime Republican lobbyist and informal adviser to Jeb Bush—$430,000 since January, reports the Center for Public Integrity. The ministry paid Hohlt, who has been newly appointed to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, for “advice on legislative and public-affairs strategies.” In October, Trump tweeted: “I will issue a lifetime ban against senior executive branch officials lobbying on behalf of a FOREIGN GOVERNMENT! #DrainTheSwamp.”