Russian lawmakers consider response measures to the recent US order for RT to register as a foreign agent. Similar measures may be levied against American mass media operating in Russia.
A law dating back to the 1930s could send U.S.-Russia relations spiraling
Nov 10, 2017 — Update: Nov. 10 2017 — 13:44
By Evan Gershkovich
Photo: Zurab Javakhadze / TASS
An obscure U.S. law, meant to guard against foreign propaganda, has been the driving force behind escalating U.S.-Russia tensions in recent weeks. Designed nearly a century ago, it could now force the Kremlin's RT news outlet to register as a "foreign agent" — and push the precipitous U.S.-Russia relations over the edge.
The law is the 1938 Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which has come into the spotlight as a result of the ongoing U.S. investigations into Russia's alleged 2016 presidential election meddling.
Since the launch of the investigations, FARA has been applied to two of US. President Donald Trump's campaign officials, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, who were accused of failing to register as foreign agents.