DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Both the task force and FARA were used by the bureau to investigate, charge and disrupt foreign and domestic actors accused of working to influence American policy on behalf of other nations.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions \"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Both the task force and FARA were used by the bureau to investigate, charge and disrupt foreign and domestic actors accused of working to influence American policy on behalf of other nations.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force\/\"> 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class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"5.12\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Nominations can be submitted for the 2025 CyberScoop 50 awards!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.887640449438\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.450939457203\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force\/\"> <span>Election Security<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Both the task force and FARA were used by the bureau to investigate, charge and disrupt foreign and domestic actors accused of working to influence American policy on behalf of other nations. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/83432\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-2.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 5: U.S. President Donald Trump and newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi pose with a document in the Oval Office at the White House on February 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Senate confirmed Bondi as Attorney General with a 54-46 vote on Tuesday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"35.389005510365\"><body readability=\"72.21093267449\"><\/p>\n<p>One of the first acts taken by Pam Bondi after being sworn in as attorney general was to disband an FBI task force that countered the influence of adversarial foreign governments on American politics.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/ag\/media\/1388541\/dl\">memo<\/a> issued Wednesday, Bondi wrote that the Department of Justice would be shifting resources in its National Security Division, including disbanding the FBI\u2019s Foreign Influence Task Force, \u201cto free resources to address more pressing priorities, and end risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bondi\u2019s memo also states that the Department of Justice will now only refer criminal charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if they \u201calleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The section of the memo outlining the changes offers no further detail or rationale for the decisions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The FBI\u2019s Foreign Influence Task Force was established by then-Director Christopher Wray in 2017, following the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle, during which Russian intelligence hacked into the Democratic National Committee\u2019s email system, probed election-related infrastructure for vulnerabilities, funded domestic protests, and conducted influence operations on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Wray, who was nominated to lead the FBI by Donald Trump, described the task force\u2019s work as an effort to leverage the bureau\u2019s collective expertise and resources in counterintelligence, cybersecurity and counterterrorism to investigate, call out and disrupt foreign-led efforts to interfere in American elections.<\/p>\n<p>In a 2018 speech, Wray said the task force\u2019s work revolved around three pillars: working across all 56 FBI field offices to investigate emerging foreign influence campaigns, quickly sharing information with other intelligence agencies, federal agencies, state and local governments and election officials, and working with private technology companies to close off cyber vulnerabilities and share information around influence campaigns on social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to take all of us working together to hold the field, because this threat is not going away,\u201d said Wray, who stepped down this past year amid reports that Trump planned to fire him after taking office.<\/p>\n<p>FARA requires that anyone in the U.S. accepting payment from or representing a foreign government must register and disclose such information to the federal government. It has been a key tool for law enforcement agencies in foreign influence investigations, notably during Robert Mueller\u2019s special counsel investigation of potential collusion between Trump\u2019s campaign and the Russian government.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Paul Manafort, Trump\u2019s campaign manager in 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawfaremedia.org\/article\/paul-manafort-guilty-plea-highlights-increased-enforcement-foreign-agents-registration-act\">pleaded guilty<\/a> in 2018 to violating FARA by declining to disclose that he was being paid by the government of Ukraine and former President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort was also accused by <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/paul-manafort-defense-attorneys-gave-federal-prosecutors-complete\/story?id=60212212\">Mueller<\/a> and in a separate report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee of handing over Trump campaign polling data to Konstantin Kilimnik, who was later <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy0126\">identified<\/a> by the Treasury Department as a Russian intelligence asset.<\/p>\n<p>Manafort was later pardoned by Trump before he left office in December 2020.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.4335664335664\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> 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{"id":7231,"date":"2025-02-06T16:10:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T22:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=83432"},"modified":"2025-02-06T16:10:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T22:10:04","slug":"doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/doj-disbands-foreign-influence-task-force-limits-scope-of-fara-prosecutions\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"