The public relations firm that helped launch President Trump’s election campaign is lining up a fact-finding tour of Libya as part of a $1.5-million contract to lobby on behalf of the government of Tripoli.
Gotham Government Relations and Communication is recruiting journalists to gather information on alleged war crimes committed by the forces of Khalifa Haftar, who won the endorsement of Trump this year for his attempt to wrest control of the Libyan capital.
The effort pits Trump and his former consultants on opposite sides of an increasingly deadly conflict that has now extended its lobbying reach to Washington.
The Government of National Accord is recognized by the United Nations but has struggled to assert control over the whole of the country.
According to documents filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the GNA signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract with Gotham Government Relations and Communications to “prepare and develop factual reports about Haftar’s human rights violations and crimes against Libyan civilians,” work on messaging to think tanks, and outline the GNA’s anti-terrorism work.
This week, the firm sent out a message “seeking freelance journalists to travel to Libya to report on the insurgence against the democratic government.”
The FARA filing was signed by David Schwartz, who represented Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen in the criminal case over payments to Stormy Daniels, the porn star, and by Bradley Gerstman.
Their New York lobbying firm worked closely with Trump companies and was involved in launching his campaign in 2015 at Trump Tower. At the time, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that the firm was working with Extra Mile Casting to recruit extras to cheer “him in support of his announcement,” according to an email the news outlet obtained.
Hafter, who is based in the east of Libya, launched a campaign in early April to capture Tripoli, but his offensive quickly stalled. His forces are backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia.
Trump added his endorsement in a phone call to Haftar in April, taking many of his senior officials by surprise.
On Tuesday, the human rights group Amnesty International said both sides in the conflict had launched indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas.
