Trump-connected Avenue Strategies has registered as a foreign agent on behalf of one of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's closest advisers.
Avenue is working for Mücahit Arslan, a Turkish member of parliament, according to a pair of recent Justice Department filings. The filings list his legal name, Ali Arslan.
Arslan is reportedly a close adviser to Erdogan, who has recently underscored the need for good relations between the U.S. and Turkey. Erdogan told Qatari newspaper The Peninsula in an interview published Thursday that the two countries need "to maintain relations on the basis of bilateral interests, despite differences of opinion" and admitted that "in recent years, [Turkey has] had some difficulties with the American administration."
Avenue is not charging Arslan for the work, which "may include communications with members of Congress and congressional staff, executive branch officials, the media, and with other individuals and organizations that could reference relations with the Republic of Turkey."
"I am willing to do [the work] as your friend for no compensation," firm partner Barry Bennett wrote to Arslan. Bennett is a former senior adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. He co-founded the firm with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who left following criticism over his failure to register as a lobbyist.
