Sandler Reiff

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Washington DC political law firm that, according to leaked Israeli documents, advised Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs from 2018 on avoiding US foreign-agent registration

Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C.

Logo Sandler Reiff icon.png
Firm site icon
Type Law firm (professional corporation)
Founded 1998 (as Sandler, Reiff & Young)
Founder(s) Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff
Headquarters Washington, DC, United States
Industry Law
Services Political, campaign-finance, lobbying and FARA law
Homepage https://sandlerreiff.com/

Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, usually called Sandler Reiff, is a Washington, DC law firm that advises political committees, non-profits, advocacy groups and lobbying firms. It describes its experience as "in the arena on the Democratic and progressive side".[1]

According to leaked Israeli Ministry of Justice documents published by Distributed Denial of Secrets, Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs hired the firm in 2018. Its task was to advise on how the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) applied to the ministry's planned anti-BDS company, Kela Shlomo (later Concert), and to the US groups it would fund.[2][3] The documents were released by a group calling itself Anonymous for Justice. DDoSecrets lists them in its "Cyberwar" category, and they have not been independently verified.

History and people

Joseph Sandler was in-house general counsel of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 1993 to 1998. He continued as the DNC's general counsel through his firm until 2008. He previously "chaired the task force on reform of the Foreign Agents Registration Act" for a committee of the American Bar Association's Section on International Law.[4] Neil Reiff was the DNC's Deputy General Counsel from June 1993 to May 1998. He then joined Sandler "in founding Sandler, Reiff & Young".[5] Partner Joshua Rosenstein, who joined in 2012, "primarily focuses his practice in the regulation of advocacy, including compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)".[6]

Work for the Israeli government

Selection

According to the leaked Ministry of Justice documents, the ministry approached three US firms about FARA in November 2017:

In January 2018 the ministry ruled out Kelner, citing "policy considerations… relating to another case" because he was advising Michael Flynn (translated from Hebrew). It chose Sandler Reiff, the cheapest of the bids, at $525 an hour for partners. The engagement was "up to $100,000 with an option to expand by up to $100,000 more", for up to five years.[7] The Treasury exemptions committee approved the engagement on 4 March 2018.[8] According to the Guardian, the firm's two main contacts were Sandler and Rosenstein.[3]

Advice on the PBC

The firm's memo "MOJ/MSA – SOI – Initial Recommendations" was finalised on 26 March 2018 and revised on 1 July 2018. It concluded that "the current proposed structure of the PBC would, in our view, convert the PBC into a government-controlled entity for purposes of FARA". It said this "would require any U.S. entity receiving funds and directions from the PBC to register under FARA and disclose the ties to the Government of Israel".[9] The memo set out alternatives:

  • reducing government funding of the PBC to "less than 50%";
  • using a donor-advised fund, "the point of which is to create an additional layer of separation between the government and the grant recipient in the US". Here the firm advised against "specifying a recommended purpose beyond VERY general terms" and added that "there are some DAFs that may not be fully above-board";
  • "grants without strings".

On delegations to Israel, the memo warned that "if anyone acts at the direction of the government/funded by the government to make contact with and market the delegations IN THE U.S.—approaching college campuses, approaching Christian groups, running a media campaign, and the like, then this likely will require FARA registration".[9]

According to the Guardian, the documents show that Sandler Reiff analysed FARA questions for Israel "from 2018 through at least 2022". Sandler and Rosenstein did not respond to the paper's requests for comment.[3]

Secrecy

In December 2019 the ministry's legal adviser, Liat Glazer, argued that the engagement should not be made public. She wrote that "exposing the name of the law firm could thwart the entire engagement, since as I understand it was agreed with them that the engagement with the State would not be revealed" (translated from Hebrew).[10][11]

End of the engagement

The Ministry of Strategic Affairs was closed in 2021 and some of its work moved to the Foreign Ministry.[12] On 11 October 2021 the Ministry of Justice wrote to the Foreign Ministry: "You stated there is no need to continue this engagement. In light of your position, we are not requesting an extension" (translated from Hebrew).[13] In December 2021 the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign Ministry asked Arnold & Porter to review the renewed Concert contract for FARA issues. They sent the firm the Sandler Reiff memo.[14]

FARA status

Sandler Reiff does not appear in the US Department of Justice's lists of active or terminated FARA registrants (checked 21 October 2026). The registrant called "Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg" is a different firm.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Sandler Reiff, About sandlerreiff.com, accessed 21 October 2026. Sandler Reiff-side.
  2. ↑ Distributed Denial of Secrets, Israel Ministry of Justice ddosecrets.org, 25 July 2024, accessed 21 October 2026. DDoSecrets lists the dataset in its "Cyberwar" category, warning of "an increased chance of malware, ulterior motives and altered or implanted data".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lee Fang and Jack Poulson, Israel feared legal trouble over US advocacy efforts, leaked files suggest The Guardian, 17 August 2024, accessed 21 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Sandler Reiff, Joe Sandler sandlerreiff.com, accessed 21 October 2026. Sandler Reiff-side.
  5. ↑ Sandler Reiff, Neil Reiff sandlerreiff.com, accessed 21 October 2026. Sandler Reiff-side.
  6. ↑ Sandler Reiff, Joshua Ian Rosenstein sandlerreiff.com, accessed 21 October 2026. Sandler Reiff-side.
  7. ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), Ministry of Strategic Affairs revised exemption request (form T-93) to engage a US law firm on FARA, updated 24 January 2018 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 9397718 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  8. ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), exemptions committee approval of the Sandler Reiff engagement, 4 March 2018 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 10510082 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), Sandler Reiff, memo "MOJ/MSA – SOI – Initial Recommendations" (revised 1 July 2018), Library of Leaks entity 10856394 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  10. ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), email from Liat Glazer on non-publication of the law-firm engagement, 16 December 2019 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 9816891 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  11. ↑ Middle East Eye, Israel concerned US advocacy ran afoul of foreign agents law: Report Middle East Eye, August 2024, accessed 21 October 2026.
  12. ↑ +972 Magazine, The new hasbara campaign Israel doesn't want you to know about +972 Magazine, 25 January 2022, accessed 21 October 2026. Critical.
  13. ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), Ministry of Justice email to the Foreign Ministry on the Sandler Reiff engagement, 11 October 2021 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 10946520 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  14. ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), email exchange between the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign Ministry and Arnold & Porter, 1–3 December 2021, Library of Leaks entity 10945460 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
  15. ↑ US Department of Justice, FARA eFile, active and terminated registrant lists, accessed 21 October 2026. Official.
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