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Associated Press

Washington state Republican Senator Doug Ericksen has registered as a foreign agent to consult and lobby for the country of Cambodia.
Under documents filed with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Ericksen signed an agreement between PacRim Bridges – a company he formed in 2017 – and the Kingdom of Cambodia on March 25.

Under the contract, first reported by Politico, PacRim will receive US$500,000 a year to provide consulting services and to “work to support legislation that is positive for Cambodia”. Among the services offered by PacRim will be arranging for cultural exchanges and visits by Cambodian delegations.
Ericksen is CEO of PacRim, and former Republican congressman Jay Rodne serves as general counsel and chief legal officer.
Ericksen said on Friday he did not think he was required to file with the federal government, but he did so because he “wanted to make sure everything was transparent and clear”.
He said the contract includes language on supporting legislation beneficial to Cambodia as part of the work, although his work will focus more on improving the image of a country that he sees as an emerging economy.
“Our goal is to advise and consult with the people of Cambodia to improve relations with the United States,” Ericksen said.
I find it highly unusual for a country to hire a state senator to be a lobbyist
Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21 president
Because the Washington Legislature does not run year-round, many lawmakers hold outside employment. Administrators in the House and Senate were not aware of any other lawmakers who have registered as a foreign agent while serving in the Legislature. According to Jennifer Strus, lawyer for the Legislative Ethics Board, nothing in the state Ethics in Public Service Act prohibits it.
“As with any member with outside employment, he may not lobby the Washington state legislature on behalf of his employer,” Strus said.

Ericksen was elected to his third term in the Senate in November, winning by just 46 votes. He previously served six terms in the House. In 2017, he temporarily served as communications director for the Environmental Protection Agency transition team following President Donald Trump’s election.
Hun Sen retains his tight grip on Cambodia, and freedoms can wait
He had received criticism for previous trips to Cambodia, including one to observe the country’s July 29 elections the White House said were “neither free nor fair and failed to represent the will of the Cambodian people”.

He said his interest in the country developed following a meeting with a Cambodian delegation at the state Capitol in the spring of 2016, followed by his first trip to the country with his family that summer.
Talks following his trip to observe the elections led to this new role. Ericksen said he did his research to make sure it would not run afoul of any laws or rules.
‘They only go to Chinese shops’: why Cambodia’s influx of mainland tourists is causing tensions
“People talk about the optics, but nothing about the reality of a conflict of interest, because there is none,” he said.
Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a charity group that works to limit money in politics, said that while there may not be any legal or ethical questions, “I find it highly unusual for a country to hire a state senator to be a lobbyist”.
“I would certainly want to know what the Cambodian government thought they were getting,” he said.
Ericksen said he believes the relationships he has forged in Cambodia will help the two countries work together on issues ranging from anti-terrorism to combating human-trafficking.
“I think it’s a really unique opportunity to actually help people,” he said.


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Cambodia

US Republican Senator Doug Ericksen registers to lobby for Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with Washington state Senator Doug Ericksen in Phnom Penh in May 2018. Photo: Cambodia government

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2017, file photo, Washington Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, talks to reporters at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Ericksen has registered as a foreign agent in order to consult and lobby for the country of Cambodia. Under documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Ericksen signed an agreement between PacRim Bridges, LLC — a company he formed in 2017— with the Kingdom of Cambodia on March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

FILE - In this July 29, 2018, file photo, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), holds a ballot before voting at a polling station in Takhmua in Kandal province, southeast of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, at the polling place near his home on the day of the general election on July 29, 2018. The official results, being announced province-by-province and party-by-party Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018, were certain to confirm a landslide victory by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, but critics called the election unfair because the only credible opposition force, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, could not contest the polls because it was dissolved by court order last year. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Foreign observers attend a conference with the National Election Committee of Cambodia (NEC), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 28, 2018. Reuters/Samrang Pring

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Ericksen was criticised for previous trips to Cambodia, including one to monitor the July 2019 elections the White House said were ‘neither free nor fair’


Doug Ericksen was criticised for previous trips to Cambodia, including one to monitor the July 2019 elections the White House said were ‘neither free nor fair’


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