Qorvis
Encyclopedia
Qorvis Communications is a Washington, D.C. public relations and lobbying
firm. Its CEO is Michael Petruzzello.
Saudi Arabia hired Qorvis for $14 million dollars a year to improve its image in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Qorvis engaged in a PR frenzy that publicized the "9/11 Commission finding that there was 'no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [Al Qaeda]'—while omitting the report's conclusion that 'Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism.'"
Qorvis acts as public relations representation on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Equatorial Guinea, Palestinian business interests, The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, some members of the Kuwaiti government and Yemen.
The group's Geopolitical Solutions division, headed by partner Matt J. Lauer, has been criticized by human rights groups for representing rogue governments. Media Bistro During the Arab Spring
uprisings in 2011, senior vice president Seth Thomas Pietras said, “Our clients are facing some challenges now.... But our long-term goals — to bridge the differences between our clients and the United States — haven’t changed. We stand by them.” In March 2011, a third of Qorvis's partners left the firm due to its work on behalf of autocratic governments. A former employee was reported as saying, "I just have trouble working with despotic dictators killing their own people."
In September 2011, Egyptian steel tycoon and Qorvis client, Ahmed Ezz
, who pays Qorvis $90,000 per month, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $11 million for corruption. In October 2011, the Department of Justice
's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section began court proceedings to seize $70 million from the family Equatorial Guinea's dictator and Qorvis client Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
.
executed search warrants at Qorvis's offices as part of a criminal investigation into whether a pro-Saudi radio ad campaign run by the firm broke federal law by not disclosing funds from the Saudi government.
filings with the Department of Justice
, Bahrain's government pays Qorvis $40,000 per month to whitewash the regime's image in face of civil protests, known as the Pearl Revolution
. In August 2011, it was widely reported that Qorvis wrote press releases on behalf of Bahrain's government, defending its crackdown on Doctors Without Borders
.
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
firm. Its CEO is Michael Petruzzello.
Saudi Arabia hired Qorvis for $14 million dollars a year to improve its image in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Qorvis engaged in a PR frenzy that publicized the "9/11 Commission finding that there was 'no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [Al Qaeda]'—while omitting the report's conclusion that 'Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism.'"
Qorvis acts as public relations representation on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Equatorial Guinea, Palestinian business interests, The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, some members of the Kuwaiti government and Yemen.
The group's Geopolitical Solutions division, headed by partner Matt J. Lauer, has been criticized by human rights groups for representing rogue governments. Media Bistro During the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
uprisings in 2011, senior vice president Seth Thomas Pietras said, “Our clients are facing some challenges now.... But our long-term goals — to bridge the differences between our clients and the United States — haven’t changed. We stand by them.” In March 2011, a third of Qorvis's partners left the firm due to its work on behalf of autocratic governments. A former employee was reported as saying, "I just have trouble working with despotic dictators killing their own people."
In September 2011, Egyptian steel tycoon and Qorvis client, Ahmed Ezz
Ahmed Ezz
Ahmed Ezz is a Egyptian businessman and one-time politician, the owner of Ezz Steel and the former chairman of Egypt's national assembly's budget committee...
, who pays Qorvis $90,000 per month, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $11 million for corruption. In October 2011, the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section began court proceedings to seize $70 million from the family Equatorial Guinea's dictator and Qorvis client Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is an Equatoguinean politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990s...
.
2004 FBI raid
In December 2004, the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
executed search warrants at Qorvis's offices as part of a criminal investigation into whether a pro-Saudi radio ad campaign run by the firm broke federal law by not disclosing funds from the Saudi government.
Work on behalf of the Bahrain government
According to Foreign Agents RegistrationForeign Agents Registration Act
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is a United States law passed in 1938 requiring that agents representing the interests of foreign powers be properly identified to the American public. The act was passed in response to German propaganda in the lead-up to World War II...
filings with the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, Bahrain's government pays Qorvis $40,000 per month to whitewash the regime's image in face of civil protests, known as the Pearl Revolution
2011 Bahraini uprising
The 2011 Bahraini uprising, sometimes called the February 14 Revolution is a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of civil resistance, in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain...
. In August 2011, it was widely reported that Qorvis wrote press releases on behalf of Bahrain's government, defending its crackdown on Doctors Without Borders
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
.