![]() ![]() Marx | Bio | Back to Main Page | References and further reading (eds.) Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements. MarxĪgents Provocateurs as a Type of Faux Activist "It's just become more of a priority to disrupt it," said Aaron, a former national security prosecutor.Agents Provocateurs as a Type of Faux Activist-Gary T. "Not only did Tom Barrack's actions never cross the line, they never came anywhere close to the line," Barrack's lawyer Michael Schachter said in a statement.Īfter the acquittal, Justice Department official Jay Bratt told a conference the department would "continue to bring hard cases."ĭavid Aaron of law firm Perkins Coie said much of the activity being charged under Section 951 "has probably been going on for decades." ![]() ![]() He said his interactions with Emirati officials were part of his job as a private equity executive. Last November, former Donald Trump fundraiser Tom Barrack was acquitted on charges of acting as a United Arab Emirates agent. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn dropped charges against a New York City police officer arrested in 2020 for allegedly acting as a Chinese agent, stating that more evidence became available. The Justice Department has had some recent setbacks with Section 951 cases. The law requires proving a defendant intended to act at another country's direction, which can be difficult, experts said. In 2022 most of the cases involved "transnational repression" by people acting on behalf of China.ĭespite the surge in cases, the more recent applications of the statute have rarely been tested at trial, because many cases have ended in guilty pleas or remain open because the defendants are overseas. The broad increase in enforcement of Section 951 and a related law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, started as a response to Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. While once mainly used against traditional espionage, Section 951 cases brought in recent years have targeted "influence operations" and harassment of U.S.-based dissidents. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He added that his office uses the foreign agent statute and other tools to combat the trend. Attorney in Brooklyn who brought the New York charges, said the Department of Justice has been "sounding the alarm" about so-called transnational repression efforts. In response to questions from Reuters, Breon Peace, the U.S. The unit responsible for enforcing foreign agent laws has grown in the past five years to five lawyers and five analysts, along with a dedicated FBI employee and support staff, according to a Department of Justice official. is a national security priority and the Department of Justice and the FBI are devoting a ton of time and resources to identifying and charging those cases," said Brandon Van Grack, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor now at law firm Morrison Foerster. ![]() The record number of foreign agent cases "shows that this issue of foreign agents in the U.S. The Chinese government has denied maintaining overseas police stations but has said there are volunteer-run centers outside China that help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services. They were charged with conspiring to violate Section 951. In the New York case, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping are accused of working on behalf of China's Ministry of Public Security. government has prioritized suspected cases of spying, illegal lobbying and harassment. elections and intimidate political opponents on American soil, the U.S. Prosecutors have charged at least nine since the start of this year.Īlarmed by the efforts of Russia, China and others to influence U.S. That was the highest number since at least 2003, according to a Reuters review of Justice Department statements and court records. The Justice Department last year charged at least 25 people with violating or conspiring to violate the law. The law, Section 951, was passed as part of the 1917 Espionage Act - enacted partly to combat resistance to the World War One draft - and makes it illegal to operate in the United States subject to a foreign government's direction or control without notifying the Attorney General. charges last week against two people for allegedly running a Chinese "secret police station" in New York marked the latest case in a broad ramp-up in the use of a century-old law meant to curb the activity of foreign agents. ![]()
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