The TDFP Foreign Influence Report: UAE Embassy Hires Lobbying Firm at $100,000 a Month; Ex-Congressman Joins Okinawa's U.S. Bases Contract
The United Arab Emirates' embassy in Washington has hired a new lobbying firm on a $100,000-a-month deal, and a former congressman has joined a contract to track U.S. military policy for Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, according to foreign-agent and lobbying filings posted this week.
The Digital Free Press reviewed each filing below. FARA filings go to the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act; LDA registrations go to Congress under the Lobbying Disclosure Act and do not list fees, which come later in quarterly reports.
UAE Embassy Hires Guidepost at $100,000 a Month
Guidepost Strategies, a Washington firm that first registered under FARA in July, filed on Oct. 30 to add the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates as a foreign principal, "through Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP." The contract is dated Oct. 29.
"Guidepost will be paid $100,000/month via Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for its work supporting the Embassy of the UAE," the filing states. It describes the work as "support and guidance in furtherance of the interests of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, with an emphasis on strengthening bilateral relations and regional security," and says it includes political activity.
Three people filed short-form registrations for the account the same day: partner Jennifer Poersch, policy and political advisor Alexander Large and consultant John Davis. FARA records list one other Guidepost principal, the Presidential Administration of Romania, added in July.
Okinawa Pays Mercury to Track U.S. Military Policy
Mercury Public Affairs re-registered Okinawa Prefecture as a foreign principal on Oct. 20, after representing it from 2015 to March 2025, FARA records show. On Nov. 3, Mercury partner Vin Weber, a former Minnesota congressman, filed a short form to work on the account.
The agreement in Mercury's Oct. 20 filing, made with the governor of Okinawa, covers "Base Affairs Research (Survey on Trends in Defense Policy in the United States)." It runs Sept. 1, 2026, to Jan. 31, 2027, with pay capped at $30,000. Mercury is to analyze U.S. troop and equipment deployments in the Indo-Pacific, steps to prevent misconduct by U.S. military personnel and training accidents, and how items in the fiscal 2026 defense authorization report may affect U.S. forces in Okinawa.
Filings: https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6170-Exhibit-AB-20261020-7.pdf and https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6170-Short-Form-20261103-20.pdf
Ballard Adds a Lobbyist for Japan's Embassy
Ballard Partners lobbyist Gladden John Pappin filed a short form on Nov. 1 to work for the Embassy of Japan, a Ballard principal since April 2023. He will support the embassy "regarding its communications with U.S. government officials and decision makers, non-government organizations, and other individuals within the U.S.," part time, the filing says. It lists no separate fee; his salary is "not based solely" on this work.
Indian-Owned Solar Maker Lobbies on Polysilicon
Akin Gump registered on Nov. 2 to lobby for INOX Solar Americas, a solar module and cell maker in Greenville, N.C., on "Section 232 polysilicon proclamation onshoring plans." The filing lists two Indian companies, Amura Renewables and Inox Clean Energy, each at 100% ownership, and Devansh Jain and Avarna Jain of Noida, India, at 95.03%. Lobbyist Cara Morrow was director of policy at the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration and a senior adviser at the U.S. Trade Representative's office until January 2025, the filing says.
Luxembourg Parent Funds $100,000 in Pipe Lobbying
Continental Strategy registered on Nov. 4 to lobby for Future Pipe Industries, a Houston fiberglass pipe maker, on "U.S. composite pipe manufacturing and energy infrastructure," including trade, energy and appropriations. The filing names Future Group Holdings SA SPF of Luxembourg as 100% owner and lists a $100,000 contribution from it toward the lobbying. The lobbyist, Wessam Hassanein, is listed as a former "Special Advisor to the Vice President."
Canada's Cenovus Listed Behind Pipeline Coalition
Venable registered on Nov. 3 for the Coalition for Accessible, Affordable, and Reliable Energy in America, an informal group, on "issues related to the interstate pipeline transportation of crude oil and refined products." It lists Calgary-based Cenovus Energy Inc. as a foreign entity. The lobbyists include James Barnette, former general counsel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Derek Theurer, a former counselor to the Treasury secretary.
Japanese-Owned Cement Maker Lobbies on Forest Land
Alston & Bird registered on Nov. 3 for Mitsubishi Cement Corporation of Henderson, Nev., which the filing says is wholly owned by Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation. The issue is the "donation of land to the U.S. Forest Service subject to an existing recorded utility easement." Lobbyist Kristi Boswell is a former senior adviser to the Agriculture secretary.
Also on File
FGS Global registered on Nov. 1 for the Zurich-based Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, on trade and tax issues "promoting economic stability and integration between the United States and Switzerland" (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/b59b4461-857c-41c5-ad05-6ea91a1fb0a4/print/). And Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office signed up three new unpaid agents, including President Trump's former bodyguard Keith Schiller, which The Digital Free Press reported (https://www.thedigitalfreepress.com/post/keith-schiller-george-sorial-register-foreign-agents-kazakhstan-extradition-treaty).
The TDFP Foreign Influence Report runs every week, built from public FARA and LDA filings.
Sources: FARA, Guidepost Strategies Exhibits A and B, Oct. 30, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7749-Exhibit-AB-20261030-1.pdf); Guidepost short forms, Oct. 30, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7749-Short-Form-20261030-3.pdf, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7749-Short-Form-20261030-4.pdf, https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7749-Short-Form-20261030-5.pdf); FARA, Mercury Public Affairs Exhibits A and B for Okinawa Prefecture, Oct. 20, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6170-Exhibit-AB-20261020-7.pdf); Mercury short form, Nov. 3, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6170-Short-Form-20261103-20.pdf); Ballard Partners short form, Nov. 1, 2026 (https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7070-Short-Form-20261101-22.pdf); LDA registrations: INOX Solar Americas, Nov. 2 (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/d0298c34-80a0-4d5b-9c60-ac330bca511a/print/); Future Pipe Industries, Nov. 4 (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/2337dcbc-f81c-4240-9bd4-ae391d1e18c0/print/); Coalition for Accessible, Affordable, and Reliable Energy in America, Nov. 3 (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/9e1092d7-2de3-433e-abb8-56431d28365e/print/); Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, Nov. 3 (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/0d8f9a92-b966-4b44-9900-ba4d94d543f2/print/); Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, Nov. 1 (https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/b59b4461-857c-41c5-ad05-6ea91a1fb0a4/print/). Cover photo: Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., by ajay_suresh, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
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