US Attorney under Obama Assisted Chinese Drone Manufacturer

 A Chinese drone company, under scrutiny by the U.S. government for alleged ties to China’s military, sought legal representation from Loretta Lynch, a former U.S. Attorney General in the Obama administration.

Lynch, currently a partner at the Paul, Weiss law firm, wrote a letter last July to a senior Defense Department official on behalf of SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, requesting the removal of her client from a list of Chinese military companies.

While advocating for foreign clients is legal and lawyers have exemptions under U.S. law for public disclosure, concerns have been raised about gaps that allow lawyers and lobbyists, including former officials, to avoid disclosing their work for companies potentially subject to U.S. sanctions.

Details of the letter, along with the lack of transparency in such advocacy, point to broader issues that some transparency advocates and lawmakers have been pushing to address through changes to existing laws.

The letter by Lynch, seen by Reuters, highlights the work done by former top U.S. officials on behalf of companies flagged as posing threats to national security and reinforces calls for tightening disclosure requirements under laws such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

While DJI has denied being a military company, U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments have accused the company of supporting activities like biometric surveillance and tracking of Muslim Uyghur minorities in China.

The Justice Department and Defense Department, along with many critics of FARA, have pointed out loopholes that have allowed less transparency for companies with suspected ties to China’s military, like Hikvision and WuXi AppTec.

As concerns over foreign influence continue to grow, calls for reforming the FARA laws have been made, with lawmakers seeking to improve transparency and prevent the exploitation of loopholes by entities acting on behalf of U.S. adversaries.

Despite the push for stricter FARA rules, concerns have been raised about potential negative impacts on free speech and the need to balance transparency with civil liberties.

The issues surrounding FARA and the legal advocacy done on behalf of companies like DJI have led to discussions on the need for reform, especially in light of the evolving challenges posed by foreign entities with potential ties to authoritarian regimes.

Efforts to address these issues lie with Congress, where bipartisan bills have been proposed to close gaps in FARA regulations and enhance transparency in legal representation of foreign clients.