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Qatar Embassy Contract Sets Ballard Partners Consulting Fee at $50,000 a Month, FARA Filing Shows
A 2020 amendment filed with the Justice Department sets the Embassy of the State of Qatar's consulting fee to Ballard Partners at US $50,000 per month through December 31, 2020.
By Americans for Transparency · Published
Written by AFTorg's automated desk from the public record. Before publication, each of its 25 statements was checked against the source it cites; 1 that could not be matched were cut. How this works · Report an error
The short answer
The Embassy of the State of Qatar's contract with Ballard Partners set a consulting fee of US $50,000 per month. This is the only dollar figure in the filings reviewed here. Amendment Two took effect May 1, 2020, and the term was set to expire December 31, 2020. Ballard Partners' 2017 registration statement, for the Government of the Dominican Republic, lists no receipts. The firm's FARA registration was terminated 2021-02-06.
- Amendment Two to the Qatar embassy's Consulting Services Agreement modifies the consulting fee to US $50,000 per month.
- The amendment took effect May 1, 2020, and set the term to expire at close of business December 31, 2020, unless terminated earlier.
- The underlying Consulting Services Agreement between the Embassy of the State of Qatar and Ballard Partners is dated June 28, 2018.
- Ballard Partners' 2017 registration statement names the Government of the Dominican Republic and lists "N/A" for money received.
- The 2017 registration statement names Brian Ballard as president and says he owns 100% of Ballard Partners.
The money: $50,000 a month from Qatar's embassy
The Embassy of the State of Qatar signed a Consulting Services Agreement with Ballard Partners dated June 28, 2018. Amendment Two to that agreement sets the consulting fee at US $50,000 per month.[1]
“Appendix B is amended to modify the consulting fee to US $ 50,000 per month.”
The amendment took effect May 1, 2020. It set the term of the agreement to expire at close of business December 31, 2020, unless terminated earlier under the agreement. The embassy's signature line is dated 04-23-2020. The consultant's date line is blank in the filed copy.[1]
The amendment says nothing else in the agreement changes. The fee before Amendment Two is not stated in this filing.[1]
| Date | What the filing says | Amount | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-05 | Registration statement, Government of the Dominican Republic: money received from the foreign principal | N/A | fara-1688 |
| 2018-06-28 | Consulting Services Agreement dated, Embassy of the State of Qatar and Ballard Partners | No amount stated in this filing | fara-1528 |
| 2020-05-01 | Amendment Two effective; consulting fee modified | US $50,000 per month | fara-1528 |
| 2020-12-31 | Term of the agreement expires at close of business, unless terminated earlier | No amount stated | fara-1528 |
The Dominican Republic: no receipts listed at registration
Ballard Partners registered on 2017-04-05. Its registration statement lists one foreign principal: the Government of the Dominican Republic. The table for money received from that foreign principal reads "N/A" for date, purpose and amount.[2]
The statement describes the work in the same terms for each employee it lists. They would advise, counsel and assist the foreign principal in communications with US government officials. It names four employees: Brian Ballard, Sylvester Lukis, Otto Reich and Dan McFaul.[2]
Who runs Ballard Partners
The registration statement names Brian Ballard as president and as the person in charge. It says he owns 100% of Ballard Partners. It describes the firm's regular business as "Lobbying Firm/Government Relations." Its principal office is listed in Tallahassee, Florida, with branch offices in Jacksonville, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Washington, DC.[2]
DOJ's index names these short-form registrants in Ballard Partners' filings: Brian Ballard, Rebecca Benn, Pamela Bondi, Karl S. Bowers, Jose Felix Diaz, Sylvester Lukis, Dan McFaul, Otto Reich, James Phillip Rubin (listed twice, once with a variant spelling), Katherine San Pedro, Justin Sayfie, Robert Wexler and Susan Wiles.[3]
What is not known
- The filings reviewed here do not state how much money Ballard Partners actually received from the Embassy of the State of Qatar.
- They do not state the fee in the original June 28, 2018 agreement or in Amendment One.
- They give no dollar figure for the Government of the Dominican Republic beyond the N/A entries at registration.
- They give no contract or dollar figure for the Republic of Kosovo, which DOJ's index lists as a foreign principal.[1][2][3]
The paperwork
Ballard Partners is registrant No. 6415. DOJ's index lists 177 filings from it. The latest is a Supplemental Statement stamped 2021-06-15. The index lists the registration as terminated 2021-02-06. The foreign principals it lists are the Embassy of the State of Qatar (QATAR), the Government of the Dominican Republic (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) and the Republic of Kosovo (KOSOVA).[3]
The Qatar amendment was filed as Exhibit AB. It is stamped received by the NSD/FARA Registration Unit on 05/01/2020 at 10:24:50 AM. The registration statement is Form NSD-1, stamped received 04/05/2017 at 1:40:59 PM.[1][2]
Questions people ask
Who does Ballard Partners work for?
DOJ's FARA index lists three foreign principals in Ballard Partners' filings: the Embassy of the State of Qatar, the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Kosovo. A 2020 amendment set the Qatar embassy's consulting fee at US $50,000 per month through December 31, 2020. The registration was terminated 2021-02-06.
Who runs Ballard Partners and what is its FARA registration about?
Its 2017 registration statement names Brian Ballard as president and says he owns 100% of the firm. It describes the firm's business as lobbying and government relations. It says the work would include advising, counseling and assisting the foreign principal in communications with US government officials.
Is Ballard Partners a registered foreign agent?
Ballard Partners registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act on 2017-04-05 as registrant No. 6415. DOJ's index lists its registration as terminated 2021-02-06. Its latest filing in the index is stamped 2021-06-15.
Sources
- [1]U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Unit, Ballard Partners: Exhibit AB, stamped 2020-05-01, May 1, 2020. Primary record“Appendix B is amended to modify the consulting fee to US $ 50,000 per month.”
- [2]U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Unit, Ballard Partners: Registration Statement, stamped 2017-04-05, April 5, 2017. Primary record“Lobbying Firm/Government Relations”
- [3]U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Unit, FARA filing index for Ballard Partners (No. 6415), June 15, 2021. Primary record“Its registration was terminated 2021-02-06.”