Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., admitted his law firm "may have had some influence" on Presidect-elect Donald Trump's policy-flipping call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, and now BuzzFeed is reporting the influence came as result of paid lobbying – the very thing Trump campaigned against.
Documents show the Taiwanese government paid law firm Alston & Bird LLP – of which Dole is listed as special counsel on their website – "tens of thousands of dollars to lobby on behalf of Taiwan's interests over the past few years," according to the report.
The payments included "$20,000 a month as a retainer in 2016" from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington, D.C., which stands as a Taiwanese embassy amid the U.S.'s "One China" policy since 1979.
The firm was also paid to arrange meeting with Republicans during the presidential campaign and "advancing your agenda on other party-related issues," according to the letter made public under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The documents do not show TECRO specifically asked for Dole to broker the Trump call, and neither Dole nor Trump's transition team responded immediately to requests for comment, according to the report.
The revelation flies in the face of Trump's campaign promise "to drain the swamp" of special interest groups and lobbyists in Washington and fuels criticism of Trump doing exactly the opposite in his transition before he even takes office.
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