FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act)

A U.S. federal law requiring agents acting on behalf of foreign governments, political parties, or principals to disclose their relationship, activities, and payments to the Department of Justice. Enacted 1938; enforcement has tightened sharply since 2017. A FARA filing — or a failure to file — generates a permanent public record. The communications playbook around foreign representation now operates under that disclosure framework, not around it.