Quote:A new report from the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan and independent firm that tracks money in U.S. politics, alleged that a lobbyist for the foreign partners of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline gave thousands of dollars to President Joe Biden’s campaign and a pro-Biden super PAC.

The news comes after Axios reported this week that the Biden administration was going to waive sanctions on a company and its CEO that is building Russia’s pipeline to Germany.

The Center for Responsive Politics reports:

McLarty managing partner Richard Burt, the former U.S. Ambassador to West Germany and a member of several influential Washington think-tanks, reported lobbying for a slate of foreign companies that have partnered on the project on “Russian sanctions issues” and “natural gas as an element of European energy security.” Burt donated $2,000 to Biden’s 2020 campaign and $10,000 to pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country while he was a registered lobbyist for foreign companies partnering with Nord Stream on the pipeline. Biden’s campaign had not refunded Burt’s money at the time of publication, more than 6 months after the donations were given, despite pledging to reject lobbyist donations.

Because firms working for proponents of the pipeline registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act instead of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, details of which government officials the lobbyists met with remain hidden from the public.