Published 17 August 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Who paid the US$53,000 to Lanny Davis for services to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis?
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 17TH 2017 – New twists in the Lanny Davis declaration in compliance under the U.S. Attorney General’s FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act), that he was paid close to US$53,000 by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis for services to the twin island Federation.
The issue came up for public discussion again when it was raised during debate in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on the Public Accounts Committee Bill 2017 last Friday 11th August by opposition Member of Parliament for St. Christopher 2 (Central Basseterre), Hon. Marcella Liburd, who accused Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris of misleading the lawmaking body in December 2015 when he stated that the professional services of Lanny Davis was free.
The New York-based News Americas Now reported earlier this year that Davis declared to the Federal Government that he was paid “for services to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis,” but last Friday 11th August, Prime Minister Harris said no money was paid to Davis.
Now the former chairman of Harris’ Peoples Labour Party (PLP) Douglas Wattley said campaign funds were diverted to pay the Washington-based well-known lawyer, lobbyist, crisis-manager and influence-peddler.
In presenting the 2016 Budget Address in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on 19th December 2015, Prime Minister Harris said at paragraph 28: “We are pleased to announce that the Cabinet has approved the retention of the professional service of Lanny J Davis and Associates to assist us in more effective engagement with the US Government. More information will be provided on this in the new year. Suffice it to report that this engagement of Mr. Davis comes at no cost to our Government.”
On April 28th 2017, News Americas Now reported that several D.C. firms earned some big money in late 2015 to early 2016 to “lobby” on behalf of Caribbean governments.
News Americas Now said its analysis of the US Attorney General’s latest FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) report to the Congress and the Administration shows: “The government of St. Kitts & Nevis paid Lanny J. Davis & Associates, LLC of 1900 M Street, NW, Washington, DC US$52,752.30 for the six month period ending June 30, 2016 also for lobbying. The law firm provided legal advice and services to assist the government to address the concerns of the U.S. Treasury Department and the Canadian government and to review and advise the foreign principal on achieving enhanced due diligence and background vetting related to the Citizenship-by-Investment Program. The boutique law firm was founded in 2010 by Lanny J. Davis, who is former special counsel to President Clinton and is also a crisis manager, consultant, author, and television commentator. David has also has served three terms on the Democratic National Committee representing the state of Maryland, and during that period he served on the DNC Executive Committee and as chairman of the Eastern Region Caucus.”
In her presentation on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Bill last week Friday, Liburd, a two-term parliamentarian, who has been asking Dr. Harris to clear the air on this issue since May this year, again accused the Prime Minister of misleading lawmakers and the country that the services of Mr. Davis was free when Davis’ law firm had declared receiving nearly US$53,000 from his administration in Basseterre.
In winding up the two-day debate, Prime Minister Harris responding to Liburd’s comments said that friends of his government approached Lanny Davis and Davis made appearances to the U.S. Treasury on behalf of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Not one cent was paid by this government to Lanny Davis for those efforts. Not one cent,” Harris told the parliament, labelling News Americas Now, “a propaganda political rag sheet” reporting “fake news.”
“Appearing on Freedom 106.5 FM’s “Issues” programme on Wednesday, Ms. Liburd said: “Nobody can pay anybody on behalf of a government, neither the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis or any government. They cannot pay you money and say it is on behalf of a government. It has to come from the Government.”
“Is Lanny Davis going to lie in that declaration, that the money was paid to him by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, when to do so is a Federal criminal offense? Would he do that? I doubt that very much,” said Liburd.
“Lanny Davis has to be a crazy man to declare that he received money from the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in a declaration to the US Government, knowing that if he lies, it would have criminal implications for him,” said Liburd.
But Douglas Wattley, the ousted former chairman of Prime Minister Harris’ People’s Labour Party following the disclosure by America News Now and as Liburd raised the Lanny Davis payment in parliament wrote the following on his FaceBook Page: “I just heard you mention the name Lanny Davis in the National Parliament. Well hear this, in my investigation of $100,000 US given to the PLP by a donor, incidentally, which the PLP did not receive, I was told that the said funds were diverted to Mr. Lanny Davis. I wonder if it is the same Lanny Davis, you are referring to? I ask because, as best as I recall, the Executive of the then PLP did not authorize any such diversion of funds.”
Wattley, who resigned from being chairman of the state-owned ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) Board had for several months publicly expressing his disagreements with Prime Minister Harris on the issue of governance, transparency and accountability and had expressed concern over what he termed the high level of corruption in government and the PLP.
The PLP Deputy Political Leader, Ambassador Sam Condor and Wattley were among several founding and executive members who were ousted from their positions at a hastily called PLP convention at which Harris was the only officer from the old guard re-elected on March 25th 2017.
Photo 1 – Hon. Marcella Liburd
Photo 2 – Hon. Timothy Harris, Hon. Peter Engel and Lanny Davis at a Washington D.C. event.
