Church of Scientology Lobbied Hillary’s State Department

PATRICK HOWLEY
Political Reporter
June 21, 2015

The Church of Scientology started a big-money lobbying relationship with the U.S. State Department during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

Greg Mitchell, proprietor of The Mitchell Firm, is Scientology’s official Washington lobbyist. A church member, Mitchell works to help the church gain mainstream credibility and to lobby on behalf of issues the church cares about, like criminal justice reform and religious freedom in foreign countries.

Mitchell features a photograph on his firm’s website that shows him posing with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Church of Scientology International spent $80,000 over three quarters to have Mitchell lobby the State Department in 2011, during Clinton’s tenure as the head of the agency. The church had never lobbied the State Department before the second quarter of that year.

The church’s lobbying continued in 2012, as it spent a total of $80,000 ($20,000 per quarter) to lobby Clinton’s State Department.

Scientology lobbied for religious freedom issues, opposing efforts by foreign governments to stifle minority religions like Scientology.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/21/church-of-scientology-lobbied-hillarys-state-department/