Gov’t hires Trump ally to lobby Washington

-US$50,000 per month for six months

With concerns growing in Guyana and the Caribbean over the trajectory of the Trump administration, the Irfaan Ali government has hired a consulting company helmed by one of his Latino advisors, Carlos Trujillo.

According to a filing under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, the agreement was signed on the December 13th 2024 with Trujillo who operates under the consulting firm Continental Strategy LLC. The agreement was signed on behalf of Guyana by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elisabeth Harper on February 5th this year.

There was no announcement by the government here of the signing of the deal.

The agreement with the Virginia-based attorney said that it will be for a term of six months effective December 16th 2024 and may be renewed at the election of the client subject to satisfactory performance by the firm.

The client will pay the firm the sum of US$50,000 ($100m) on a monthly basis for the duration of the agreement.

Additionally, the firm  will invoice the client each month for reasonable costs associated with the engagement including registration fees and travel expenses.

The agreement says “The Firm will act prudently in its undertakings and in any instance where monthly costs will exceed (US$15,000), seek prior written approval from the Client”.

In October 2017, Trujillo was chosen by President Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States.  He also advised the Trump campaign in the run up to the November elections on the Latin vote.

Analysts say that Georgetown would be  keen to ensure that Washington is fully onboard with Guyana’s position on the border controversy with Venezuela and with the 1899 arbitral award underpinning that position. With ramped up aggression by Venezuela as evidenced by the incursion of one of its naval vessels into Guyana’s waters on March 1st, Georgetown would be expecting firm support from Washington. Interestingly on March 1st, within hours of the incursion there was a statement from the US’s  Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs on X (formerly Twitter).

The statement said “Venezuelan naval vessels threatening ExxonMobil’s floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is unacceptable and a clear violation of Guyana’s internationally-recognized maritime territory. Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime. The United States reaffirms its support for Guyana’s territorial integrity and the 1899 arbitral award”.

In March 2020, Trump had announced his intent to nominate Trujillo to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.   In July 2020, Trujillo participated in a hearing before the  Senate Committee on Foreign Relations  but on January 3, 2021, his nomination was returned to the President.

Georgetown will also likely be seeking to lobby the Trump administration on the threat of sanctions on officials of countries taking Cuban medical missions which Washington has labelled as human trafficking and the question of the return of deportees here.

Continental Strategy on its website says “We specialize in advising and representing our clients across a wide range of issues in Washington, D.C., Florida, and throughout Latin America. Our team has decades of experience working in state and federal government, lobbying, and advising on policy, politics, and communications. Our relationships with policymakers, legislators, elected officials, and staff have been cultivated over decades while working in the executive and legislative branches of federal and state government. We specialize in guiding our clients in public and private sector endeavors, spearheading political and diplomatic initiatives, and collaborating with multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations. Our team analyzes and evaluates policies, legislation, and market conditions, to create custom strategies to advance our client’s objectives”.

Trujillo served as an elected member of the Florida House of Representatives for eight years, was a founding partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, and worked as an assistant state attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District.

Before his appointment at the OAS, Trujillo was appointed by Trump to serve as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The website said that prior to his work in Washington, Trujillo was elected as State Representative to the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee which required him to appropriate and oversee an $83.5 billion dollar budget. Additionally, he served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee.