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Libyan rebels lobbied US energy officials, GOP lawmakers amid oil dispute

Lobbyists for strongman Khalifa Hifter’s forces helped set up meetings with US officials for Libya’s rival government.
Libyan National Army (LNA) members, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, equip the military vehicles to get out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC1D53312530

Lobbyists for Libyan strongman Khalifa Hifter’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) met with Republican lawmakers and US officials in charge of energy policy last summer, a newly disclosed lobbying filing reveals.

The filing sheds light on Hifter’s targeting of key US decision-makers even as the United States recognizes the rival UN-backed government in Tripoli as the country’s legitimate authority. Hifter’s LNA hired Texas-based Linden Government Solutions in May for $2 million per year to advocate for the group in its conflict with Tripoli over control of the country’s vast oil wealth.

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