Foreign Agent Registration and Former High-Level Federal Officials Representing Foreign Interests

GAO discussed the Department of Justice's (DOJ) administration of foreign agent registration and the extent to which former high-level federal officials represented foreign interests. GAO noted that: (1) people continue to act as foreign agents without registering, registered agents are not fully disclosing their activities and are not filing required statements on a timely basis, and officials in the Executive Branch are often unaware of the act's requirements; (2) DOJ disclosure criteria were unclear; (3) 76 former high-level officials had subsequently carried out foreign representational activities, but DOJ made no attempt to determine whether those activities violated any U.S. laws.