Now Reading: US lobbying firm listed Trump post to Modi in disclosure
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US lobbying firm listed Trump post to Modi in disclosure
The Story in Brief
American lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs has disclosed that a social media post by US President Donald Trump congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on becoming India's longest-serving prime minister in June was among the work it executed under its monthly retainer with the Indian embassy, The Indian Express reported on 7 November. Mercury Public Affairs was hired at a monthly retainer of $75,000 (about Rs 70 lakh).
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 7 November described as 'misleading' a social media post that linked Trump's congratulatory tweet to the lobbying payment, stating that hiring such firms is a normal practice for foreign embassies in the US and that the Indian embassy in Washington DC has done so since 1948. The MEA noted that Mercury's filing clearly states it only disseminated the post on X.
Congress Media Coordinator Harmeet Kaur questioned what Indian taxpayers receive in return for the government spending $225,000 (over Rs 2.1 crore) monthly on US lobbying firms. A second firm, SHW Partners LLC, headed by Trump aide Jason Miller, was hired at a monthly retainer of $150,000 (about Rs 1.4 crore).
Indian Opinion Analysis
Scroll.in's report leads with the lobbying firm's disclosure and opposition criticism, framing the Trump congratulatory post as a paid service questioned by the Congress. The Times Now report leads with the MEA's rebuttal, calling the linking of the post to payment 'misleading' and emphasising that hiring lobbying firms is a routine and transparent practice since 1948. Scroll.in reports the opposition figure's cost questions in full, while Times Now omits them after the MEA statement. The balanced reading is that both sides agree on the disclosed facts, the retainer amount and the post being listed, but disagree on whether that linkage implies impropriety. The MEA fact-check has been issued, and the FARA filings remain publicly available.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 government-critical
Sources (2): scroll.in (government critical), timesnownews.com (pro government)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
