Saudi Arabia Hires Edelman & The Podesta Group

By EPR Editorial Team

Edited on Jun 23, 2026.

Related: PR Firms Directory · Edelman: PR Firm Profile · Public Affairs & Government · Government Relations & Lobbying

U.S. Department of Justice FARA filings from September 2015 documented that Edelman — then the world's largest independent public relations agency — and the Podesta Group, a Washington lobbying firm, had been retained by Saudi Arabian interests for U.S. media and government engagement.

The two engagements

Edelman. The September 2015 FARA filing detailed a $16,500 engagement on behalf of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority to "engage with opinion influencers, establish media engagement opportunities for principal, and assist in opinion editorial placement." Edelman had longer-running representation of the Saudi Embassy, framed as enhancing the kingdom's interests at the UN and among UN observers.

Podesta Group. The Podesta Group — founded in 1987 by Tony Podesta, whose brother John Podesta would chair the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign — was retained for a $200,000 engagement with the Center for Studies and Media Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court. The firm specialized in global advocacy and bipartisan government relations; Bloomberg Businessweek had previously described it as "the Beltway Blackbelt." Other Podesta Group clients at the time included the U.S. Aviation Industry, PGA of America, American Steelworkers, and the government of Puerto Rico.

The longer history of Saudi PR engagements

Saudi Arabia has retained American PR and lobbying counsel continuously for more than four decades. Firms with documented Saudi government work include Hill+Knowlton (since 1982), Qorvis Communications, and the law firm DLA Piper. The Edelman and Podesta filings disclosed in September 2015 were one episode in a much longer pattern of sovereign engagement of U.S. communications and policy infrastructure. The full Vision 2030-era picture of that engagement is documented in EPR's Saudi Arabia U.S. Influence Machine.

Why FARA disclosure shapes sovereign PR work

The Foreign Agents Registration Act has been the single most reliable source of public information on sovereign and foreign-government PR engagements since 1938. Every retention of U.S. counsel by a foreign government, foreign political party, or foreign principal triggers a registration requirement — the engagement, the fee, the scope of work, and the principal all become part of the public record.

The practical implication for the communications industry: the FARA register is searchable and durable. Every sovereign engagement disclosed in 2015 — or 1985, or 2005 — remains discoverable today. The arithmetic of representing controversial sovereigns is materially different when every filing remains in the public record alongside the surrounding press coverage. The diplomatic backdrop — Khashoggi, the Biden fist bump, the Beijing-brokered Iran rapprochement — is mapped in EPR's Charm Offensive profile of MBS.

FAQ

What was Edelman's 2015 Saudi engagement?
A $16,500 FARA-registered project for the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, focused on influencer outreach, media engagement, and op-ed placement.

What was the Podesta Group's Saudi engagement?
A $200,000 engagement with the Center for Studies and Media Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court.

Which other U.S. firms have represented Saudi Arabia historically?
Hill+Knowlton (since 1982), Qorvis Communications, DLA Piper, and a longer list of communications and policy firms. Saudi engagement of U.S. counsel is one of the longest-running sovereign PR programs documented under FARA.

What is FARA?
The Foreign Agents Registration Act, in force since 1938. It requires anyone acting in the U.S. as an agent of a foreign principal — in a political or quasi-political capacity — to file public disclosures with the Department of Justice. The filings include the engagement, fee, scope of work, and identity of the principal.

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