News · Money Trail
Qatar's Embassy Sets Ballard Partners' Consulting Fee at $50,000 a Month, FARA Filing Shows
A 2020 amendment set Qatar's monthly fee to the Florida lobbying firm. It is the only dollar figure in the Ballard Partners filings reviewed here.
By Americans for Transparency · Published
Written by AFTorg's automated desk from the public record. Before publication, each of its 26 statements was checked against the source it cites; 2 that could not be matched were cut. How this works · Report an error
The short answer
The Embassy of the State of Qatar set Ballard Partners' consulting fee at US $50,000 per month, a FARA filing shows. The change took effect May 1, 2020. The contract term ran to December 31, 2020. That is the only fee figure in the filings reviewed here. The firm's 2017 registration for the Government of the Dominican Republic lists no money received. No contract text for Kosovo was available. DOJ's index shows the registration was terminated 2021-02-06.
- An amendment to Qatar's contract with Ballard Partners sets the consulting fee at US $ 50,000 per month, effective May 1, 2020.
- The amendment says the contract term expires at COB December 31, 2020, unless it is ended earlier.
- The amendment changes a Consulting Services Agreement between the Embassy of the State of Qatar and Ballard Partners dated June 28, 2018.
- Ballard Partners' 2017 registration statement for the Government of the Dominican Republic shows N/A in the amount field for money received.
- DOJ's index lists 177 filings from Ballard Partners and shows the registration was terminated 2021-02-06.
The Embassy of the State of Qatar agreed to pay Ballard Partners US $ 50,000 per month in consulting fees. The fee took effect May 1, 2020. The contract was set to run through COB December 31, 2020. The figure comes from a contract amendment Ballard Partners filed with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[1]
“Appendix B is amended to modify the consulting fee to US $ 50,000 per month.”
The amendment changes an existing Consulting Services Agreement between the Embassy and Ballard Partners. That agreement is dated June 28, 2018. It had already been changed once, by Amendment One. The Embassy's signature line is dated 04-23-2020.[1]
The money trail
These are the only amount entries in the filings reviewed here. The Qatar amendment states a monthly fee. It does not state how much was actually paid. The 2017 registration covers the Government of the Dominican Republic and lists N/A for money received.[1][2]
| Amount | Date or period | From (foreign principal) | Paid to | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US $ 50,000 per month (consulting fee) | Effective May 1, 2020; term to expire COB December 31, 2020 | Embassy of the State of Qatar | Ballard Partners | fara-1528 (Exhibit AB, stamped 2020-05-01) |
| N/A (receipts of money: foreign principal, date, purpose and amount all listed as N/A) | From 60 days before the obligation to register to the filing of the statement, stamped 2017-04-05 | Government of the Dominican Republic | Ballard Partners | fara-1688 (Registration Statement, stamped 2017-04-05) |
Who pays, who is paid
Ballard Partners' filings list three foreign principals: the Embassy of the State of Qatar, the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Kosovo.[3]
The 2017 registration names Brian Ballard as the person in charge and as president. It says he owns 100% of Ballard Partners. It describes the firm's regular business as "Lobbying Firm/Government Relations". It gives the firm's principal business address as Tallahassee, Florida.[2]
DOJ's index names these short-form registrants across the firm's filings: Brian Ballard, Rebecca Benn, Pamela Bondi, Karl S. Bowers, Jose Felix Diaz, Sylvester Lukis, Dan McFaul, Otto Reich, James Phillip Rubin, Katherine San Pedro, Justin Sayfie, Robert Wexler and Susan Wiles. The index does not say which foreign principal each person worked for, or when.[3]
What is not known
- How much Qatar actually paid Ballard Partners. The amendment states a fee rate, not payments received.
- What the fee was under the original June 28, 2018 agreement or under Amendment One. Neither text was available.
- What work the Qatar contract covered. The amendment text calls it consulting and gives no further description.
- Any contract terms or amounts for the Republic of Kosovo. No Kosovo filing text was available.
- Amounts in the firm's supplemental statements, including the one stamped 2021-06-15. Their text was not available.[1][3]
The paperwork
Ballard Partners is registrant No. 6415. It registered on 2017-04-05. DOJ's index lists 177 filings from the firm. The latest is stamped 2021-06-15. The registration was terminated 2021-02-06.[3]
The Qatar fee appears in an Exhibit AB filing, titled Consulting Services Agreement Amendment Two. It was received by the NSD/FARA Registration Unit on 05/01/2020 at 10:24:50 AM. The Dominican Republic registration is a Form NSD-1 Registration Statement, received 04/05/2017 at 1:40:59 PM. It states the firm was organized March 18, 1998 in Florida.[1][2]
Questions people ask
Who does Ballard Partners work for?
Its FARA filings list three foreign principals: the Embassy of the State of Qatar, the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Kosovo. DOJ's index shows the firm's FARA registration was terminated 2021-02-06.
Who runs Ballard Partners and what is its FARA registration about?
The 2017 registration names Brian Ballard as the person in charge and president. It says he owns 100% of the firm. The registration covered the Government of the Dominican Republic. It described the work as advising, counseling, and assisting the foreign principal in communications with US government officials. Later filings also list Qatar's embassy and the Republic of Kosovo.
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 shows that registration was terminated 2021-02-06. Its latest filing 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.”