Pam Bondi ends FBI effort to combat foreign influence in U.S. politics
Attorney General Pam Bondi halted an FBI effort to combat secret influence campaigns by China, Russia, and other adversaries that try to sow chaos in U.S. politics.
In a little-noticed directive on her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a halt to a years-old federal law enforcement effort to combat secret influence campaigns by China, Russia and other adversaries that try to curry favor and sow chaos in American politics.
Buried on the fourth page of one of 14 policy memos Bondi issued Wednesday, the order disbands the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and pares back enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, despite years of warnings by U.S. intelligence agencies that foreign malign influence operations involving disinformation were a growing and dangerous threat.
“To free resources to address more pressing priorities, and end risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion, the Foreign Influence Task Force shall be disbanded,” the order states.
It also states that criminal charges for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires people to register when lobbying on behalf of a foreign nation, “shall be limited to instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.” The order adds that DOJ prosecutors instead “shall focus on civil enforcement, regulatory initiatives, and public guidance.”
A separate Bondi directive also disbanded efforts to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs, including Task Force Klepto Capture and the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
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