On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance (DAA) for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The DAA is an advocacy group that is funded by Chinese company DJI. The alliance works to influence American citizens to lobby against legislation that would prohibit the use of DJI in America, the Congress members said, including lobbying against the American Security Drone Act and the Countering CCP Drones Act. The law makers said the DAA is working on behalf of a foreign adversary in the U.S. and should be required to register with DOJ under the FARA.
“FARA is intended to protect U.S. national security by requiring enhanced transparency into certain activities of organizations operating in the U.S. on behalf of foreign entities, including lobbying to influence U.S. policy,” the Congressmembers wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. “CCP-controlled drone company DJI is sponsoring and using the Drone Advocacy Alliance to market DJI drones as critical lifesaving tools that do not pose risks to U.S. national security. However, the opposite is the case. DJI is directly facilitating genocidal crimes, arming the Chinese military, and advancing the strategic objectives of the CCP, an adversary that threatens U.S. national security.”
The law makers asked the DOJ to investigate DAA’s activities for potential FARA requirements, and to report back to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, of which Moolenaar is chair, if any exemptions to FARA have been applied to the group.