<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div>Check this out. My emphasis.  </div><div><br></div><div>[...]</div><div><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Some of Katulis’ own writing appears to contradict even CAP's belated statement of “full support” for U.S. withdrawal from the Yemen War. In March 2019, Katulis and CAP chief operating officer Gordon Gray co-authored an <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/wanted-patient-diplomacy-yemen-47622" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">article</a> that played down the importance of ending U.S. support for the war.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">“<b>Ending U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition will not stop the war</b> or address the humanitarian crisis,” they wrote. “Successfully and comprehensively addressing the grave situation in Yemen will require patient diplomacy, which inevitably will see ups and downs given the nature of the conflict and the combatants inside and outside Yemen.”</p></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium">[...]</span><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium">For 500 points, which key leading Democratic Member of the House recently said something <b><i>very similar</i></b> to this, at a spectacular juncture? </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:medium">For 500 points, which post will Katulis occupy in the Executive Branch if Biden is POTUS?  </span></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="http://inthesetimes.com/article/22226/center-for-american-progress-uae-lobbying-fara-disclosures-influence" target="_blank">http://inthesetimes.com/article/22226/center-for-american-progress-uae-lobbying-fara-disclosures-influence</a><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><h1 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:droid-serif,serif;font-size:38px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:40px;vertical-align:baseline">CAP Publicly Distanced Itself From the UAE. 8 Months Later, It Was Still Meeting with UAE Lobbyists.</h1><p style="margin:0px 0px 3px;padding:0px 80px 8px 0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:20px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(98,99,102);font-family:tablet-gothic-semi-condensed;font-stretch:normal;line-height:23px">A foreign policy expert at the influential think tank remained close to UAE lobbyists.</p><span style="margin:5px 0px 3px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:tablet-gothic-narrow;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;line-height:14px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(98,99,102);letter-spacing:1px;text-transform:uppercase;display:block">BY <a href="http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/7141" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(98,99,102);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">SARAH LAZARE</a></span><span style="margin:5px 0px 3px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:tablet-gothic-narrow;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;line-height:14px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(98,99,102);letter-spacing:1px;text-transform:uppercase;display:block"><br></span><span style="margin:5px 0px 3px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:tablet-gothic-narrow;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;line-height:14px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(98,99,102);letter-spacing:1px;text-transform:uppercase;display:block"><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">This January, the Center for American Progress (CAP) declared it would no longer accept funding from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “With a rising undemocratic tide around the world, and serious questions about which side of that struggle our own president stands on, it seemed clear that all Americans should take extra steps and leave no doubt where they stand,” a spokesperson for CAP <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/25/united-arab-emirates-funding-center-for-american-progress" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">told</a>the <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:italic;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Guardian</span>.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">The pledge came amid public outcry over Saudi Arabia’s murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:italic;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Washington Post</span>, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. Since 2014, CAP had <a href="https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3ba8a1_cc7f1fad2f7a497ba5fb159a6756c34a.pdf?index=true" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">received</a> between $1.5 million and $3 million from the UAE, a close ally of Saudi Arabia. CAP, founded by Clinton staffer John Podesta, is widely seen as the think tank that wields the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/center-for-american-progress-a-top-democratic-think-tank-will-keep-russia-project-after-talks-of-killing-it" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">most influence</a>on the Democratic Party. During this time, the group had been conspicuously silent on the U.S.-UAE-Saudi war on Yemen, which was condemned by human rights groups.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">But CAP appears not to have taken all steps to rid itself of UAE influence. According to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) records, which disclose lobbyists’ financial relationships with foreign governments, a high-level CAP staffer continued meeting with a UAE lobbyist for at least eight months after CAP pledged to stop taking UAE donations.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">FARA <a href="https://efile.fara.gov/docs/5478-Supplemental-Statement-20190512-32.pdf" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">filings</a> show that Harbour Group, a lobbying firm, received $2,863,574.34 from the UAE and $160,008.09 from Saudi Arabia during the six-month period ending on March 31, 2019.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">That same filing shows that, during this time period, Richard Mintz, managing director of Harbour Group, had “multiple contacts” with Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at CAP known for his close relationship with the UAE. These meetings extended from October 1 to March 30, indicating they continued for two months after CAP pledged it would stop taking UAE money. While the record does not disclose details of these meetings, it says the topic of their discussions were “UAE foreign policy.”</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">It didn’t stop there. A newly released FARA <a href="https://efile.fara.gov/docs/5478-Supplemental-Statement-20191114-33.pdf" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">filing</a> shows that, from April 1 to September 30, Harbour lobbyists repeatedly met and communicated with Katulis. During that time period, the lobbying firm received $3,558,776.35 from the UAE (no U.S. lobbying payments from Saudi Arabia were listed).</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">While FARA documents are scant on details, frustrating transparency advocates, the filing notes that Richard Mintz, managing director of Harbour Group, met with Katulis from April 1 to September 30. Under “subject matter,” the filing merely states “Iran/Yemen/Red Sea”—three <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-defence-emirates/uae-signs-55-billion-in-military-contracts-as-yemen-war-heightens-scrutiny-idUSKCN1QA1CS" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">top</a> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-emirates/rivals-iran-and-uae-to-hold-maritime-security-talks-idUSKCN1UP184" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">geopolitical</a> <a href="https://lobelog.com/will-somalia-share-yemens-fate/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">concerns</a> of the UAE.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">The same filing notes that two other Harbour Group lobbyists had contact with Katulis: Adam Sharon who had a “lunch, catch-up meeting” with him on August 22, and Matthew Triaca, who sent Katulis an email on August 29.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">The two FARA documents only list meetings up to the end of September, so the meetings may be ongoing.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">While these meetings do not contradict CAP’s statement that it is no longer receiving UAE money, it does raise questions about ongoing UAE influence.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Asked for comment, CAP spokesperson Sam Hananel told <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:italic;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">In These Times</span> via email, “The Center for American Progress no longer accepts funding from the United Arab Emirates. Following the conclusion of the grant period, CAP staff finalized and submitted reports associated with past work.”</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">CAP declined repeated requests to comment on the content of the meetings between Mintz and Katulis. The refusal is notable, given that CAP has <u style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/news/2019/12/13/478745/lobbying-disclosure-exemption-allows-continued-foreign-influence-u-s-politics/" title="疰咆翿" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">called for increased</a></u> transparency on lobbying disclosures, citing the threat of Russian interference.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Harbour Group and Mintz did not respond to requests for an interview. CAP declined on Katulis' behalf.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Think tanks meet with all sorts of people, and a meeting alone does not prove undue political influence. However, a large number of meetings over a significant time span suggests a closer relationship, and one more likely to be mutually beneficial.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">CAP and Katulis’ relationship with UAE lobbyists goes back further. A recent <a href="https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3ba8a1_cc7f1fad2f7a497ba5fb159a6756c34a.pdf?index=true" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">report</a> by Ben Freeman of the Center for International Policy found that UAE “foreign agents,” most commonly Harbour’s Richard Mintz, contacted Katulis “at least 11 times according to their 2018 FARA filings, primarily regarding a ‘CAP group trip to UAE/KSA’ in late April and early May 2018,” writes Freeman (who also provided <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:italic;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">In These Times</span> the FARA documents for this article.). The records show that then, as now, Mintz was the main contact for Katulis.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">The report, further, notes that CAP was among the top five think tanks most contacted by the UAE in 2018.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">CAP has long exerted significant influence over the center of the Democratic Party, and played a <a href="http://content.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1861305,00.html" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">tremendous role</a> in shaping Obama administration policy, with <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:italic;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Time</span> <a href="http://content.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1861305,00.html" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">reporting</a> in 2008 that “not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway.” Katulis’ <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/katulis-brian/bio/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">bio</a> boasts his political influence, noting that, “for more than a decade, he has advised senior U.S. policymakers on foreign policy and has provided expert testimony several times to key congressional committees.”</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Katulis, meanwhile, wears another hat: He is a <a href="https://www.albrightstonebridge.com/team/brian-katulis" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">senior advisor</a> to Albright Stonebridge Group, a “global business strategy firm” with offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The UAE office is led by Jad Mneymneh, who <a href="https://www.albrightstonebridge.com/news/press-release-asg-announces-senior-additions-and-new-office-uae" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">previously served</a> in the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi’s Office of Strategic Affairs.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">While a spokesperson for the firm <a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/01/17/foreign_influence-peddling_in_dc_a_clear_and_present_muddle.html" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">said</a> its does not lobby the U.S. government or take on “client work that involves activities covered by FARA,” journalist Lee Fang <a href="https://twitter.com/lhfang/status/1117561545939091459" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">noted</a> on Twitter that the group is an influence peddler.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">While the firm may not partake in activities that warrent FARA reporting, its staffer—Katulis—does perform such activities at CAP, like testifying before Congress.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">There is reason to think that Katulis’ relationships have had an impact. A January 16 Intercept <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/01/16/center-for-american-progress-cap-uae-leak/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">report</a> by Ryan Grim and Clio Chang found that, in the aftermath of the Khashoggi killing, Katulis objected to an initial statement from CAP condemning Saudi Arabia for the murder and calling for concrete consequences. Thanks to Katulis’ input, the statement was watered down and instead called for “additional steps to reassess” the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">CAP’s statement that it would no longer take UAE funding came amid public scrutiny fueled, in part, by these revelations.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">The implications of these ties are not theoretical. The Yemen war has killed at least 100,000 people, and the U.S.-Saudi-UAE coalition is responsible for more than 8,000 of 12,000 known civilian deaths, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/death-toll-in-yemen-war-reaches-100000" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">according to</a> the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project. For more than four and a half years, the powerful think tank has tacitly supported the Yemen War through its silence. Even as the mainstream of the Democratic Party turned against the war under President Trump, the think tank stayed mum, despite weighing in on a number of other foreign policy issues, from Russian interference in the election to Trump’s decision to exit the Iran nuclear deal. During a heated -congressional effort to end U.S. support for the Yemen War by invoking the War Powers resolution, CAP was silent, coming out <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/12/23/yemen-war-resolution-vote-senate/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">in support</a> only after the resolution passed with broad Democratic backing. (It was ultimately vetoed by Trump in April.)</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Some of Katulis’ own writing appears to contradict even CAP's belated statement of “full support” for U.S. withdrawal from the Yemen War. In March 2019, Katulis and CAP chief operating officer Gordon Gray co-authored an <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/wanted-patient-diplomacy-yemen-47622" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(209,46,40)" target="_blank">article</a> that played down the importance of ending U.S. support for the war.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">“Ending U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition will not stop the war or address the humanitarian crisis,” they wrote. “Successfully and comprehensively addressing the grave situation in Yemen will require patient diplomacy, which inevitably will see ups and downs given the nature of the conflict and the combatants inside and outside Yemen.”</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Though allegedly no longer funding CAP directly, the UAE government was likely delighted to see such a statement come from a leading Democratic Party-aligned think tank.</p><h2 style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:droid-serif-cond;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;line-height:20px;vertical-align:baseline;text-transform:uppercase;color:rgb(209,46,40)">SARAH LAZARE</h2><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/7141/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration:none" target="_blank"></a></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:droid-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:italic;font-stretch:normal;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline">Sarah Lazare is web editor at <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-variant-caps:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">In These Times</span>. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch. She tweets at @sarahlazare.</p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-family:droid-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:italic;font-stretch:normal;line-height:1.66667;vertical-align:baseline"><br></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0)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