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Saudi Arabia turns to Democrat-tied lobbyists for Capitol Hill relationship advice

The Williams Group is the 10th firm hired by Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington and the ministry of foreign affairs.
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - JUNE 17: Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud (L), Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and US President Barack Obama meet at White House in Washington, D.C, USA on June 17, 2016. (Photo by Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia has turned to a pair of former Democratic aides to help repair relations with Capitol Hill.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington hired the Washington-based Williams Group for help “providing advice on how best to establish relationships with members of Congress and staff.” Registered to lobby on the account are firm founder Michael Williams, a special assistant for legislative affairs under President Bill Clinton, and Jennifer Stewart, a former aide to Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, and Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who has touted her ties to the Congressional Black Caucus.

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