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Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, has received two U.S. congressional delegations over the past three weeks. In an article published on Monday, Africa Intelligence attributed this diplomatic momentum to lobbyist Garrett Ventry.
According to the French publication, Ventry leveraged his access to the White House and his financial support for the election campaigns of several Republican lawmakers to help connect Rabat with members of the «Make America Great Again» (MAGA) movement, widely regarded as among President Donald Trump's most loyal supporters within the Republican Party.
In December 2024, Ventry filed a short-form declaration with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as a consultant for ThirdCircle Inc., a firm retained by Morocco's embassy in Washington in both 2018 and 2024 to promote and defend the kingdom's interests in the United States.
Republicans close to Morocco before Trump's return
According to Africa Intelligence, Ventry has spent years helping Morocco cultivate high-level contacts in Washington. The publication cites figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican ally of President Trump. Graham met Bourita in Casablanca in February 2023.
The list also includes Senator Ted Cruz, who introduced legislation seeking to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. Following Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, these ties reportedly deepened further, translating into continued U.S. support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.
On May 25, Bourita held talks in Rabat with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers led by Representative Trent Kelly, a member of the House Armed Services, Intelligence and Special Operations committees and chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. During the same visit, Kelly also met with Abdelatif Loudiyi, Minister Delegate in charge of the National Defense Administration, and Lieutenant General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone.
On June 12, Bourita welcomed a second congressional delegation headed by Vern Buchanan, vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and chairman of the House Democracy Partnership. The delegation also met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami.
According to figures published last March by the independent watchdog OpenSecrets, Morocco significantly increased its lobbying expenditures in the United States, spending $3.49 million in 2025, compared with $3.37 million in 2024 and more than $1.7 million in 2023.
The United States is scheduled to hold congressional elections on November 3, when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be up for renewal.
