Litigation Communications: 9/11 Families Fighting for Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism

1^st Placement: Expose Saudi’s Astroturf Campaign Using Vets & Foreign Policy Experts 

The Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia Is Astroturfing America To Roll Back 9/11 Law. The government of Saudi Arabia and its agents appear to be recruiting U.S. military veterans and people with foreign policy credentials to submit basically the same op-ed to newspapers around the country in an effort to concoct the appearance of an organic groundswell of opposition to a new federal law that allows civil lawsuits against state sponsors of terrorism. [. . .] A cursory review of five different newspaper submissions allegedly written by five different authors — and placed in five different major newspapers from Oct. 5, 2016 to Nov. 28, 2016 — strongly suggests an astroturf campaign conducted by some single source. (Eric Owens, “EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia Is Astroturfing America To Roll Back 9/11 Law,” The Daily Caller, 12/5/16)

Reports Citing Story Placed

• 28Pages.org: Daily Caller Exposes Saudi Astroturf Effort Against JASTA. As reported earlier, the Saudi government’s enormous lobbying force has grown to include 14 firms as it works to pressure lawmakers into revising a new law that enables victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue the kingdom for its alleged role in aiding the hijackers. Yesterday, Daily Caller put a spotlight on one front in that far-reaching Saudi campaign: a series of op-ed pieces penned by military and national security veterans that use identical sentences to make their points. The Eric Owens article characterizes the effort as “astroturfing,” a term used to describe a centrally-organized effort to create a false appearance of grass-roots support for a political cause. The op-ed pieces call for changes to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), passed into law in September via a congressional override of President Obama’s veto of the measure. (Brian P. McGlinchey, “Daily Caller Exposes Saudi Astroturf Effort Against JASTA,” 28Pages, 12/6/2016)

• CBS News: Saudis paid U.S. veterans to lobby against law allowing 9/11 families to sue kingdom. The veterans' lobbying effort began within a month after the vote. Soon, some 70 new subcontractors would be hired by Qorvis MSLGroup, a Washington-based lobbying and public relations firm that represents Saudi Arabia, according to Justice Department filings examined by The Associated Press. Veterans who spoke to lawmakers had their flights and accommodation paid for with Saudi money distributed by the subcontractors, according to the filings. Some stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Saudi Arabia's involvement was first reported by The Daily Caller, a conservative website, and later explored by the Saudi-skeptic website 28pages.org. (Staff, “Saudis paid U.S. veterans to lobby against law allowing 9/11 families to sue kingdom,” CBS News, 5/11/2017)

• Breitbart News Network: Darling: A Sickening Example of Astroturf Politics and 9/11 Victims. Eric Owens of the Daily Caller reported on February 7, 2017, that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is paying a large public relations firm to recruit American military veterans to oppose a law that allows the families of 9/11 victims to sue in the federal courts: Saudi Arabia is paying Qorvis MSLGROUP, “one of the largest public relations firms in the world,” to lobby for the McCain-Graham amendment. Qorvis is the primary registrant for two consultants — and possibly more — who are working in different parts of the country to recruit veterans to oppose JASTA in the halls of Congress. According to media reports, Saudi Arabia spread large amounts of cash up and down K Street in Washington, D.C. to hire an army of lobbyists and public relations firms to stop the JASTA law from passing last year. (Brian Darling, “Darling: A Sickening Example of Astroturf Politics and 9/11 Victims,” Breitbart News Network, 2/11/2017)

• Yahoo News: 9/11 families seek Justice Department probe of Saudi lobbying that enlisted U.S. veterans. The existence of the Saudi lobbying campaign — including the bookings for veterans at the Trump Hotel — was initially reported in January by Daily Caller and Politico. But the extent of the effort appears to have been much larger than previously known. By tracking Facebook and other social media postings by the participants, Brian McGlinchey, who writes a blog called 28pages.org, has identified seven separate visits by groups of between 20 and 50 veterans who booked rooms at the Trump Hotel, starting on Nov. 14, the week after the election. Two of those visits, one from Jan. 23 to 26 and another in mid-February, occurred after Trump became president. (Michael Isikoff, “9/11 families seek Justice Department probe of Saudi lobbying that enlisted U.S. veterans,” Yahoo News, 3/29/2017)

• The Intercept: As Trump Travels to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s D.C. Lobbying Surge Is Paying Off. Numerous veterans who participated in the effort say they were misled by the Saudi lobbyists, who denied Saudi Arabia was involved in the advocacy campaign. As part of the same campaign, identical letters to the editor and letters to lawmakers against JASTA, supposedly written by military veterans, copied the same language over and over again, a pattern that suggests the letters were written by the lobbyists. (Lee Fang, “As Trump Travels to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s D.C. Lobbying Surge Is Paying Off,” The Intercept, 5/19/2017)

2^nd Placement: Show that Saudis Are Exploiting Veterans in Paid-For Trips to D.C.

The Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Cash Is Sending Veterans On LUXURY Trips To Washington To Oppose 9/11 Law. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is paying at least one large public relations firm in Washington, D.C. to recruit American military veterans who will agree to visit Capitol Hill to tell members of Congress — in person — that they oppose a new federal law allowing civil lawsuits against state sponsors of terrorism. Saudi Arabia’s government also appears to be funding luxurious, all-expenses-paid trips to Washington, D.C. for the veterans which include stays at the $500-per-night Trump International Hotel. The law is the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which creates a way for American citizens to file civil claims against foreign governments for deaths and other damage related to terrorist acts if the foreign governments financed those attacks. (Eric Owens, “EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Cash Is Sending Veterans On LUXURY Trips To Washington To Oppose 9/11 Law,” The Daily Caller, 2/7/2017)

Reports Citing Story Placed

• The New York Post: Saudis funding veterans’ DC trip to oppose terror suit law. Saudi Arabia is bankrolling all-expenses-paid visits to Washington for American military veterans to oppose a new law allowing civil suits against alleged state sponsors of terrorism. The trips include free lodging at the Trump International Hotel, according to correspondence obtained by the Daily Caller. Qorvis MSLGROUP is spearheading the campaign to revise the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The p.r. powerhouse and other consultants are rounding up vets to convince Congress that the new law puts American troops at risk abroad. The Saudis support an amendment that would limit the kingdom’s liability. (Carl Campanille, “Saudis funding veterans’ DC trip to oppose terror suit law,” The New York Post, 2/10/2017)

• The New York Post: Vets say they were duped into helping Saudi Arabia dodge payouts to 9/11 victims. Agents of the Saudi Arabian government are using US veterans as pawns in a scheme to gut a new law clearing a path for 9/11 families to sue the kingdom for its alleged role in the attacks, several vets complained in interviews with The Post. “I joined the Marine Corps as a direct result of 9/11, so to be wined and dined by the very people I joined to fight against, that was sickening,” said Timothy Cord, who served as a Marine sergeant in Iraq. Vets say the Saudi scam involves soliciting them to go on all-expenses-paid trips to Washington — including lodging at the posh new Trump hotel near the White House — to help pressure lawmakers into amending the recently passed bill, Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). (Paul Sperry, “Vets say they were duped into helping Saudi Arabia dodge payouts to 9/11 victims,” The New York Post, 3/5/2017)

• RT: US veterans accuse Saudi Arabia of tricking them into lobbying against justice for 9/11 families. US military veterans are being sent on all-expenses paid trips to Washington on the Saudi government’s dime to lobby against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) that allows victims of 9/11 to sue foreign governments, the New York Post reports. A number of veterans have told the New York Post that they were horrified to discover they were part of a ploy to pressure Washington to prevent justice for the families of the victims of 9/11. According to the vets, Saudi Arabia solicits them through an intermediary to go on an all-expenses paid trips to Washington so that they can pressure lawmakers to amend the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). (Staff, “US veterans accuse Saudi Arabia of tricking them into lobbying against justice for 9/11 families,” RT, 3/6/2017)

• The Intercept: As Trump Travels to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s D.C. Lobbying Surge Is Paying Off. Numerous veterans who participated in the effort say they were misled by the Saudi lobbyists, who denied Saudi Arabia was involved in the advocacy campaign. As part of the same campaign, identical letters to the editor and letters to lawmakers against JASTA, supposedly written by military veterans, copied the same language over and over again, a pattern that suggests the letters were written by the lobbyists. (Lee Fang, “As Trump Travels to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s D.C. Lobbying Surge Is Paying Off,” The Intercept, 5/19/2017)

• The American Conservative: How Saudi Arabia Tricked American Veterans. Qorvis did not return a request for comment on this story. A spokesman for the firm told the Daily Caller, which broke the first story about this issue on February 7, that everything they were doing with the vets was “totally out in the open. This is totally transparent.” In a follow-up story on the DOJ complaint, Qorvis managing director Mike Petruzzello told Yahoo! News reporter Mike Isikoff that the veterans’ complaints that they did not know about Saudi Arabia’s backing of the project “rings hollow to me.” (Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, “How Saudi Arabia Tricked American Veterans,” The American Conservative, 4/27/2017)

• The Associated Press: Saudis paid for US veteran trips against 9/11 lawsuit law. The veterans who spoke to lawmakers had their flights and accommodation paid for with Saudi money distributed by the subcontractors, according to the filings. Some stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Saudi Arabia's involvement was first reported by The Daily Caller, a conservative website, and later explored by the Saudi-skeptic website 28pages.org. Included among the lobbyists who registered were public relations experts, those who had done work with veterans and a state lawmaker, Nevada assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod. Those who disclosed their salaries listed payments ranging from $12,000 up to $100,000, which Jason E. Jones of Oregon, Wisconsin, received. (Jon Gambrell, “Saudis Paid for US Veteran Trips Against 9/11 Lawsuit Law,” The Associated Press, 5/11/2017)

• Newsweek: Saudi Arabia Paid Veterans To Lobby Congress Against 9/11 Lawsuit Bill. Veterans of the U.S. military were paid thousands of dollars in travel costs and hotel bills by Saudi Arabia to lobby Congress against a law allowing the families of victims from the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to sue the Kingdom. The AP reported that the veterans, some of whom did not know the Saudi government was paying for the trips, were recruited by lobbyists, asked to don their medals and lobby lawmakers in Washington, warning them of the possible unintended consequences of the law. To this day opponents of the law, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), have refused to disclose exactly who received the hundreds of thousands of dollars in Saudi money spent to influence elected officials. (Callum Paton, “Saudi Arabia Paid Veterans To Lobby Congress Against 9/11 Lawsuit Bill,” Newsweek, 5/11/2017)

• The Daily Signal: Veterans Claim They Were Duped Into Lobbying for Saudis. With all the worry about Russian influence over U.S. elections it’s easy to overlook the many foreign interests working to impact U.S. policy every day–through paid lobbying. American lobbyists have made billions working for foreign entities. Who’s paying whom for what is subject to federal disclosure laws. But the system may not always work as intended. In the latest episode of “Full Measure” we investigated a case in point: some U.S. military vets who claim they were duped into lobbying for the wrong side. (Sharyl Attkisson, “Veterans Claim They Were Duped Into Lobbying for Saudis,” The Daily Signal, 5/22/2017)

3rd Placement: Saudis Spent $270k At Trump Hotel in Campaign Against 9/11 Bill

The Daily Caller: Saudis Spent $270K At Trump Hotel In Lobbying Campaign Against 9/11 Bill. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has paid Trump International Hotel nearly $270,000 through its Washington, D.C. lobbying firm over the past several months, new foreign lobbying disclosure filings show. The payments, from Qorvis MSLGroup, were made for hotel rooms and catering services for dozens of U.S. veterans who the lobbying firm recruited as part of an influence campaign aimed at watering down legislation that could put Saudi Arabia on the hook financially for the 9/11 attacks. Disclosures filed with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that Qorvis MSLGroup paid $190,272 to Trump International for lodging expenses, $78,204 for catering, and $1,568 for parking. (Chuck Ross, “Saudis Spent $270K At Trump Hotel In Lobbying Campaign Against 9/11 Bill,” The Daily Caller, 6/4/2017)

Reports Citing Story Placed

• The USA Today: President Trump's hotel received $270,000 from Saudi Arabia.  The firm reported paying more than $190,200 for lodging, $78,204 for catering and roughly $1,600 for parking at the Trump International Hotel in Washington — part of a larger campaign by the Saudis that brought U.S. military veterans to the nation’s capital to lobby against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act or JASTA. The Daily Caller first reported on the hotel payments. (Fredreka Schouten, “President Trump's hotel received $270,000 from Saudi Arabia,” The USA Today, 6/5/2017)

• The Wall Street Journal: Trump Hotel Received $270,000 From Lobbying Campaign Tied to Saudis. President Donald Trump’s Washington hotel received roughly $270,000 in payments linked to Saudi Arabia as part of a lobbying campaign by the Gulf kingdom against controversial terrorism legislation last year. The payments—for catering, lodging and parking—were disclosed by the public relations firm MSLGroup last week in paperwork filed with the Justice Department documenting foreign lobbying work on behalf of Saudi Arabia and other clients. As part of a lobbying effort against the bipartisan Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, Saudi Arabia’s Washington lobbyists and consultants spent about $190,000 on lodging, $78,000 on catering, and $1,600 on parking at the Trump International Hotel. The Daily Caller website first reported on the payments. (Byron Tau & Rebecca Ballhaus, “Trump Hotel Received $270,000 From Lobbying Campaign Tied to Saudis,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/6/2017)

• The Hill: Saudis spent $270K at Trump hotel amid lobbying efforts: report. Saudi Arabia reportedly spent more than a quarter of a million dollars at President Trump’s Washington hotel as part of their lobbying efforts against a controversial terrorism-related law. The kingdom hired lobbyists and consultants to push back against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow U.S. citizens to sue other governments for terrorist attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Those hired individuals then spent about $190,000 on lodging, $78,000 on catering as well as $1,600 on parking at the Trump-owned luxury hotel, The Daily Caller first reported. MSLGroup, a public relations firm, disclosed the kingdom’s payments last week while filing the foreign lobbying paperwork with the Justice Department. (Olivia Beavers, “Saudis spent $270K at Trump hotel amid lobbying efforts: report,” The Hill, 6/5/2017)

• The Independent: Trump's Washington DC hotel received $270,000 from Saudi Arabia. Newly filed lobbying reports reveal that the Trump International Hotel, located barely a stone’s throw from the White House, received the money from Qorvis MSLGroup. The payments were for hotel rooms and catering services for dozens of US veterans who the lobbying firm retained as part of a campaign to influence politicians. The Daily Caller said disclosures filed with US Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, show that Qorvis MSLGroup paid $190,272 to Trump International for lodging expenses, $78,204 for catering, and $1,568 for parking. (Andrew Buncombe, “Trump's Washington DC hotel received $270,000 from Saudi Arabia,” The Independent, 6/6/2017)

• Zero Hedge: Saudi Arabia Used U.S. Veterans To Lobby Against 9/11 Bill. It’s pretty obvious to everyone by now that the Saudis played a major role in the attacks of 9/11, which is why its rulers are scrambling ferociously to rally its D.C. puppets behind a nefarious push to gut the JASTA bill. The tactics used by the Saudis are many, but essentially boil down to throwing around as much money as possible though a network of lobbyists and consultants. As the Daily Caller outlined in a recent article: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has paid Trump International Hotel nearly $270,000 through its Washington, D.C. lobbying firm over the past several months, new foreign lobbying disclosure filings show. The payments, from Qorvis MSLGroup, were made for hotel rooms and catering services for dozens of U.S. veterans who the lobbying firm recruited as part of an influence campaign aimed at watering down legislation that could put Saudi Arabia on the hook financially for the 9/11 attacks. (Tyler Durden, “Saudi Arabia Used U.S. Veterans To Lobby Against 9/11 Bill,” ZeroHedge, 6/6/2017)

• PolitiFact: Did Saudis spend money on Trump hotels? Yes. There are several media reports about the Saudis spending $270,000 at the Trump International Hotel with one mentioning how veterans were offered free stays at the hotel, where a standard room costs $500. The trip for veterans to Washington was part of a plan funded by the Saudi government to recruit veterans to oppose the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) and speak with lawmakers. Under JASTA, Americans can sue foreign governments for acts of terrorism on American soil. Congress overrode a veto from then-President Barack Obama to enact the law in September 2016. (Smitha Rajan, “Did Saudis spend money on Trump hotels? Yes,” PolitiFact, 6/19/2017)

Other Placements of Note

• Breitbart News Network: 9/11 Families Group: McCain & Graham ‘Stabbed Us in the Back” Terry Strada, the National Chair of the group 9/11 Families and Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism says that her group was “stabbed in the back” by Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham, who attempted to cut key provisions recently in the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act aka JASTA, passed by Congress earlier this year after overriding a veto by President Obama. JASTA, which took 13 years to pass, would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for their role in terror funding. U.S. intelligence has long suspected that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia financed terrorist groups. After years of working to pass the JASTA, Terry Strada’s group believed they finally might receive justice when Senators McCain and Graham attempted to cut key provisions just before Congress adjourned for the winter recess. Strada told Radio Stranahan that McCain and Graham “were trying to sneak something in that would definitely turn everything around. It’s the defense the Saudis want to use. Strada explained that Saudis “want to be able to say, as you said earlier, ‘Yeah, we gave money to terrorist organizations—we’re not gonna deny it—but what they did with it isn’t our fault,’ and that’s simply not true.” (Lee Stranahan, “9/11 Families Group McCain & Graham ‘Stabbed Us in the Back,’” Breitbart News Network, 12/22/2016)

• The Hill: Jeff Sessions pushed JASTA and real accountability. Sessions’ steadfastness contrasts favorably to how we were treated by other senators who cynically voted to override the President’s veto prior to the November election, and then immediately colluded with the Saudi government against the 9/11 families as soon as they returned to Washington a few weeks later. Thanks to JASTA, 9/11 families can now pursue accountability from the Saudi Government and others who funded and supported the terrorist attacks, just as the FBI and Justice Department have been disclosing new evidence pointing to Saudi government employee involvement in the horrendous attacks. The continued Saudi panic over JASTA shows that the accountability promised in this new law is already working as a deterrent to nations who are lax in preventing government resources from flowing to terror groups. We will always be grateful for the arduous work of the bill sponsors, as well as that of those senators like Jeff Sessions who took a sincere interest in improving JASTA so it could become law. (Terry Strada, “Jeff Sessions pushed JASTA and real accountability,” The Hill, 1/4/2017)

• Breitbart News Network: EXCLUSIVE: Wife of 9/11 Victim Pens Letter to Donald Trump Urging Strength During Saudi Visit. Ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia this weekend, Terry Strada, the national chair of the 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism advocacy group wrote a letter to the leader of the free world. The letter urges President Trump not to buckle under pressure from Saudi Arabia and potentially weaken a provision in a law that would allow the families of victims of America’s most devastating terrorist attack to sue countries involved in carrying out terrorism. Breitbart News acquired an exclusive copy of Terry Strada’s letter to President Trump urging him to remain steadfast in his support for families of 911 victims who are suing the government of Saudi Arabia under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which was first enacted in 1976. (Adelle Nazarian, “EXCLUSIVE: Wife of 9/11 Victim Pens Letter to Donald Trump Urging Strength During Saudi Visit,” Breitbart News Network,” Breitbart News Network, 5/20/2017)

• Breitbart News Network: EXCLUSIVE – Rand Paul: Saudi Arabia’s Role in Backing Terrorism Raises Concerns with $100 Billion Arms Deal. National Security, 9/11, arms deal, JASTA, Saudi Arabia, Sen. Rand Paul. Last year, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) to allow the family members of those killed in the 9/11 attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for any part it played in those acts of terrorism. (Senator Rand Paul, “Saudi Arabia’s Role in Backing Terrorism Raises Concerns with $100 Billion Arms Deal,” Breitbart News Network, 5/24/2017)