A lobbying firm run by major Democratic Party supporters has inked a deal with the government of Somalia, according to documents filed with the Justice Department.
As reported by Politico Influence, the Podesta Group "will provide strategic counsel to the principal on strengthening the principal's ties to the United States government and institutions," according to its Foreign Agent Registration Act filing.
The firm "will also assist in communicating priority issues in the United States-Somalia bilateral relationship to relevant U.S. audiences, including the U.S. Congress, executive branch, media, and policy community."
Somalia has made U.S. headlines this week in the wake of a terrorist attack by members of al Shabaab, a Somali group affiliated with al Qaeda, at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
The FARA filing says that the Podesta Group’s activities will include explicit political advocacy.
The Podesta Group, founded by fraternal Democratic power brokers John and Tony Podesta, has close ties to the Obama White House.
John Podesta headed Obama’s transition team in 2009. He is also the chairman of the left-wing Center for American Progress and its action fund. He is no longer with the Podesta Group.
The Podesta Group has also lobbied on behalf of Iraq and for Egypt under the regime of Hosni Mubarak.
Employees of the firm recently joined State Department officials on a junket to Cairo designed to promote economic cooperation with the country.