NEWS PROVIDED BY
Coptic Solidarity
June 30, 2025

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ -- In a groundbreaking new report, Coptic Solidarity uncovers the deep and strategic efforts by the Egyptian government to shape U.S. policy through an elaborate network of lobbyists, public relations firms, and religious intermediaries. Titled “Cairo’s Covert Power in Washington,” the study documents how, since 2014, Egypt has invested nearly $19 million in U.S.-based lobbying operations to protect its interests, improve its international image, and mute criticism of its human rights record—especially concerning Coptic Christians.

This is the first report to comprehensively analyze Egypt's use of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosures alongside other U.S. federal transparency databases to trace the country’s lobbying footprint in the United States. It arrives amid renewed public scrutiny following the conviction of former U.S. Senator Robert Menendez in early 2025 for secretly acting as an agent of the Egyptian government while accepting bribes. The case has reignited national concern over the ability of authoritarian regimes to sway U.S. foreign policy through legal yet opaque means.

Egypt under President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi has drawn international criticism for systemic human rights abuses, the repression of civil society, and worsening conditions for religious minorities. Yet, despite these realities, U.S. military and economic aid to Cairo has remained remarkably consistent, averaging $1.3 billion annually since the Camp David Accords of 1979.

The new report argues that this enduring support is not solely the result of geostrategic interests—such as the Suez Canal, regional counterterrorism cooperation, and the Israel-Egypt peace treaty—but is also the product of targeted, episodic lobbying campaigns designed to influence decision-makers and public perception in Washington.

Between late 2013 and May 2025, Coptic Solidarity identified 13 firms and agents representing Egypt, together conducting over 5,500 political activities targeting U.S. congressional offices, federal agencies, media outlets, think tanks, and religious groups. Egypt’s most prominent representative, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP (BHFS), alone reported more than 3,400 activities since 2020.

The research also uncovers the role of former American lawmakers-turned-lobbyists—including Ed Royce (former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee) and Nadeam Elshami (former Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi)—in advocating Egypt’s case to their former colleagues. This revolving door practice, while legal, raises critical ethical questions about foreign access to U.S. policymaking.

Egypt’s lobbying has centered around three primary objectives: safeguarding U.S. aid, shaping perceptions of Egypt’s regional role, and improving its human rights image, especially on religious freedom.

In times of political friction—such as U.S. aid freezes under Presidents Trump and Biden—Egypt rapidly contracted PR firms like Cassidy & Associates and Holly Strategies to orchestrate narrative-correcting campaigns. These included distributing fact sheets, hosting embassy briefings, and securing favorable op-eds in mainstream media.

A particularly striking component of the Egyptian strategy has been the reputation laundering around its treatment of Coptic Christians. The report documents coordinated campaigns—both governmental and semi-official—that portray Egypt as a beacon of religious coexistence, despite overwhelming evidence of discrimination, violence, and systemic marginalization of its Coptic minority.

Among the more controversial figures named in the report is Dr. Andrea Zaki, president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, who has acted as a registered foreign agent while conducting outreach in the U.S. to promote Egypt’s “religious tolerance” narrative. His meetings with top American religious leaders and officials were part of a broader effort to mask ongoing repression of Egypt’s Christian population.

The report also flags significant deficiencies in how some firms reported their activities under FARA. Several Egypt-affiliated registrants, including Weber Shandwick, APCO Worldwide, and Marathon Strategies, submitted vague or incomplete supplemental filings, masking the full extent of their lobbying work. This lack of standardization—combined with weak enforcement—undermines transparency and accountability in foreign influence.

Additionally, Coptic Solidarity warns that foreign religious officials acting as lobbyists, especially from countries on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Watch List, can seriously distort the assessment of religious rights violations. The organization urges Congress to prohibit lobbying by such officials, citing Egypt’s misuse of its religious proxies.

In response to its findings, the report calls on:

● Lobbyists to conduct rigorous human rights due diligence and cease representing autocratic regimes;

● Congress to enforce standardized FARA reporting, resume semiannual oversight reports, and ban lobbying by officials from states with poor religious freedom records;

● The State Department to limit interactions with representatives of authoritarian regimes and reclassify Egypt from USCIRF’s “Watch List” to “Country of Particular Concern,” given its ongoing abuses.

Cairo’s Covert Power in Washington is a critical warning about the erosion of U.S. foreign policy integrity under the quiet influence of foreign autocracies. It exposes how legal lobbying mechanisms can be co-opted to launder reputations, mislead policymakers, and suppress the voices of persecuted minorities.

As Washington grapples with safeguarding its democratic institutions from foreign interference, this report adds urgency to the call for greater scrutiny, transparency, and accountability in how foreign governments interact with the American political system.

Coptic Solidarity is an organization seeking to help minorities, particularly the Copts, of Egypt. We support those in Egypt working for democracy, freedom, and the protection of the fundamental rights of all Egyptian citizens, and advocate in cooperation with the affiliated organizations in Canada and in Europe (Solidarité Copte). For more information, contact Lindsay Rodriguez at 801-512-1713 or coptadvocacy@copticsolidarity.org

SOURCE Coptic Solidarity

CONTACT: Lindsay Rodriguez, 801-512-1713, coptadvocacy@copticsolidarity.org