US senator Menendez blocked 2020 law to to thwart foreign influence

Following scathing bribery charges against Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez last week involving Egypt, a report has resurfaced on his work to block legislation in 2020 that would have strengthened the regulation of foreign influence in Washington.

The bipartisan bill, the "Foreign Agents Disclosure and Registration Enhancement Act," was initiated over concerns that existing regulations to protect the US against foreign influence were insufficiently robust. 

Unanimous consent was requested to bring the bill to the Senate floor, but Menendez refused, arguing that additional considerations were needed.

"It seems shortsighted to provide additional enforcement tools before we have figured out what that regime should look like," Menendez said on the Senate floor at the time, according to an NBC News report on his blocking of the 2020 bill. "The disturbing rise of foreign influence campaigns that use various measures to mask who is the ultimate source or beneficiary should serve as an alarm bell for all of us."

The news outlet reported that two congressional aides told them that Menendez's objection to the bill, which had solid and widespread bipartisan support in the US Senate, was for his benefit. Until now, the bill has not been updated. The original 1938 law hasn't been updated since 1966.

According to a 2020 report by the law firm Covington, which specialises in election and political law, the updated bill would have given the attorney general more investigative authority; would have increased penalties for willful violations; would have made it a criminal offence for a foreign agent to meet with a member of Congress without disclosure; would have created new civil penalties; would have required the Department of Justice to have a comprehensive strategy for enforcement; and would have required the Government Accountability Office to audit the use of exemptions for private sector companies.