The story has all the trappings of a scandal: A Hill staffer. A militant group. Money changing hands. A plot to overthrow a hostile Iran with arms. And legislation to undermine Iran.
But the story may be all the fictional creation of someone looking to help Iran undermine its enemies through any means necessary.
Cam Erickson, legislative assistant for Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), is documented as filing as a foreign agent to represent a militant group in Iran. The recent FARA filing states that Erickson received $5,000 for services as a consultant under Cogent Law Group LLP for the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Komala is classified by Iran as a terrorist group, although the U.S. State Department does not classify it that way.
However, LegiStorm is unable to verify the legitimacy of this foreign agent filing. The filing was only digitally signed and there is no other record of Erickson working for Cogent since August 2020. A Cogent representative confirmed that Erickson has not done any work for the firm since 2020, although the firm has represented the Komala Party. Clyde's office and Erickson declined to comment on the matter.
If such representation by Erickson had happened, it would violate House ethics rules. The House Ethics Manual states that "employees of the House are prohibited from acting as agents of foreign principals as defined by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)" and that violating this rule "can result in serious consequences, including disciplinary action by the House, termination of employment, and potential legal penalties under federal law."
In October, Clyde sponsored the anti-Iranian Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act, which he said would "reinstate sanctions that President Trump placed on the Iran-backed Houthis and redesignate the group as a foreign terrorist organization."
