Ex-Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen embraces UAE lobby
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the only ex-lawmaker currently registered as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates.
Former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., has signed on as a lobbyist for the United Arab Emirates amid intensifying pushback against the country’s growing regional ambitions.
Ros-Lehtinen registered on Jan. 21 as a foreign agent via Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, the UAE’s oldest lobby shop, soon after becoming eligible to lobby her former colleagues after Congress’ one-year cooling-off period for retired lawmakers. She served as chairwoman from 2011 to 2013. This is Ros-Lehtinen's first registration as a foreign agent.
According to her registration statement, Ros-Lehtinen will lobby US officials regarding “export controls and sanctions, trade policies, human rights, foreign and defense policies, foreign media registration and strengthening bilateral relations and regional security.” She is the only ex-lawmaker currently registered to lobby for the UAE, filling a key gap in the country’s multi-million-dollar lobbying juggernaut.
The registration comes as the United Arab Emirates has managed so far to stave off congressional restrictions on arms sales over its controversial role in the fight against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
