By Mike Scarcella
March 5 (Reuters) - Law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has expanded its U.S. lobbying work for Saudi Arabian clients to include the country’s $500 billion flagship project NEOM, a high-tech development on the Red Sea.
Brownstein Hyatt made the disclosure on March 2 under the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires law firms, lobbyists and others to publicly disclose some of their work for foreign clients.
The filing from Brownstein, which earns tens of millions of dollars annually as one of Washington, D.C.'s top federal lobbying firms, said it would engage in "education and advocacy before the U.S. federal government regarding potential transactions of interest to NEOM."
The firm will serve as policy advisors for NEOM Tech and Digital Company, billing $40,000 a month through November 2024, the disclosure showed.
Brownstein’s Alfred Mottur, who is on the team for NEOM, declined to comment on Tuesday. Mottur and Greta Joynes, co-leaders of the firm’s technology and communications practices, will supervise the work.
A representative from the Saudi embassy in D.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brownstein previously registered its government affairs work for Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), which manages more than $700 billion in assets, and for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sovereign wealth fund is the cornerstone investor in NEOM.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced plans in 2017 for NEOM, a 10,230-square-mile planned business development zone with aims to house nine million people by 2045.
The crown prince revealed the mega city as part of his Vision 2030 reform plan to diversify the country’s economy away from oil.
Saudi officials have said they were proceeding with prospective business partners in the venture despite criticism and fallout over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The Saudi crown prince has denied ordering Khashoggi's killing, but acknowledged later it took place "under my watch."
Brownstein will be required under FARA to disclose some details of its work for NEOM, such as the names of U.S. officials with whom the firm communicates.
The firm has registered other work over the years for foreign clients, including the embassy of The Kingdom of Bahrain and embassy of Morocco.
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