Tracking foreign influence in Washington is now a bit easier, thanks to new and improved features on the Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit's web site. The FARA unit is part of the Justice Department's National Security Division. The 'quick search' feature on the FARA database is significantly less clunky and more user friendly than the 'document search' interface.

Last March, we reported on FARA, shedding light on the important information collected by this agency about firms that represent foreign parties and governments. Most people don't know about or pay much attention to FARA because the files are not collected or presented in a way that is easy to identify pockets of influence.

But the new features in quick search make it easier to perform basic analysis of lobbying on behalf of foreign entities. Under quick search, a user can search lobbying activity by country in a more comprehensive way than previously. It's also easier to identify firms and PR shops that are working on behalf of foreign clients.

But the real gold that FARA collects is in the supplemental statements that capture financial information, among other data. It's still not possible to search foreign country, principal, or agent by the amount of money they are collecting or spending. However, FARA Bureau Chief Heather Hunt says her office is working on incorporating that feature in the future.

                                                                                                               -- Eliza Krigman