The ongoing probe into Russian collusion has torn back the veil on foreign lobbying.

Several powerful lobbyists and operatives have run into charges they violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law that was implemented in 1938 to cope with the spread of Nazi propaganda. The purpose of FARA was to require that people lobbying on behalf of foreign interests be transparent about whose interests they’re representing. Failure to file with the Justice Department within 10 days of entering into an agreement is a felony, albeit one that has historically been prosecuted on a very rare basis.