Anna Paulina Luna Exposes Foreign Paid Influencers With New Amendment — But It’s Far From A ‘Crack Down’

Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wants Americans to pay closer attention to the shady world of online influencers paid by foreign governments to spread digital propaganda.

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Luna introduced a short, two-page bill Monday to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938 by inserting the language “social media influencers” under the definition of “publicity agent.” The bill has the backing of Democratic Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Florida and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, as well as Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.(RELATED: MAGA Influencers Are Wearing Out Their White House Welcome)

“Americans should be able to know when the people shaping conversations online are acting on behalf of foreign interests,” Luna said in a statement. “The Foreign Propaganda Disclosure Act brings foreign-backed influence operations into the light and sends a clear message that America’s public square is not for sale.”

Dubbed the Foreign Propaganda Disclosure Act, the amendment defines “social media influencer” as a person with a monetized account on any given social media platform and adds the existing federal legal definition of “social media platform.”

Politico Playbook characterized Luna’s efforts as a “crack down.” However, Nicole Kelly, senior counsel at Lex Politica, a law firm that represents clients navigating FARA registration questions, told the Daily Caller that existing FARA law already covers “influencers.”

“While Rep. Luna’s Foreign Propaganda Registration Act aims to address a genuine gap in oversight, existing law already covers much of this ground,” she told the Caller. “FARA currently requires registration for any person, including influencers, who engage in political or public relations activities on behalf of a foreign principal — meaning the findings in this report could already trigger disclosure obligations under current law.”

Nevertheless, Luna’s amendment “signals the momentum building in Washington toward transparency around foreign influence in our political system,” Kelly said.

MAGA and right-wing influencers have engaged in bitter, online fights in recent times over foreign and domestic entities that seek to buy off influencers with large followings to gin up pressure campaigns and ultimately steer government policy.

Luna herself hinted that some of the “biggest profile names” in the political influencer world “have been approached at one point to push a certain position that’s probably tied to a foreign country.”

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“I have a number of those people,” she told Politico. “I’m not going to put anyone on blast. That’s not my job.”

“I’ve seen contracts into the millions,” the congresswoman added.

In a report on MAGA influencers in June, the Daily Mail listed several who have been accused of taking foreign cash, including C.J. Pearson, Rob Smith, Arynne Wexler, Emily Wilson and Ryan Fournier, co-founder of Students for Trump. The outlet reported that the White House has begun monitoring signs that suggest influencers are paid off by domestic or foreign lobbies.

Reports from Responsible Statecraft and Time Magazine have also highlighted the work of Brad Parscale, a veteran of Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, who is now a registered foreign agent of the Israeli government.

In addition to his reported connections to influencer firms that pay online figures, Parscale also serves as chief strategy officer at Salem Media Group, which owns 117 radio stations in 38 markets, as well as the conservative news sites Townhall, RedState, Hot Air, and PJ Media.

Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump ally who previously served as a top advisor on the 2024 campaign, has frequently warned that special interest groups and foreign entities are paying right-wing and MAGA influencers to manipulate Trump’s base and undermine the administration’s agenda.

“If you get paid to promote a swimsuit, you have to say ‘paid partnership.’ If you get paid to tell the president to pull tariffs off of India, you don’t have to disclose,” he told Politico. “The American public deserves to know what content that is going out on the accounts of their favorite social media personalities is bought and paid for by foreign interests.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation and Obscured Foreign Financing, or PAID OFF Act, to amend FARA and close various loopholes in 2025. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in June to issue a report to the full chamber recommending the bill be considered further.

Republican Texas Rep. August Pfluger introduced companion legislation in the House the same year, but it has stalled as well.

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Luna’s office did not respond to a request for comment.