New revelations deepen doubts over Democratic Party’s $6 million lobbying contract

Fresh revelations by Shqiptarja.com have exposed additional irregularities in the Democratic Party’s (DP) $6 million U.S. lobbying contract, intensifying scrutiny over the party’s finances just days before Albania’s parliamentary elections.

Why is this important: The new findings raise deeper questions about the legitimacy and transparency of the opposition’s international lobbying efforts. They suggest potential misuse of financial and legal structures, with implications for both DP’s political credibility and future legal accountability.

Context: According to Shqiptarja.com, the Democratic Party’s public defense of the contract leaves critical issues unresolved.

• DP claims that the lobbying services were contracted and funded by the “Make Albania Great Again” foundation, allegedly backed by Albanian-American donors. However, investigations found no evidence of the foundation’s active existence beyond a dormant Facebook page with under 200 followers and a web domain listed for sale.
• The financial guarantor of the $6 million contract is not the foundation but an individual — Nuredin Saci, an Albanian-American with no known financial capacity to support such a sum. No verifiable links between Saci and the “Make Albania Great Again” entity have been found.
• Unlike previous lobbying controversies where no official signature was involved, this time DP’s Secretary General Flamur Noka personally signed the contract. Moreover, he signed not just for DP but as representative of the electoral coalition “Alliance for a Great Albania,” suggesting the contract is tied directly to electoral activities.
• Under the terms of the agreement, the first service provided was a phone call between Continental Strategy and Dan Holler, Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. There has been no public disclosure from DP about the outcomes or significance of this contact.
• Separately, DP is reportedly using the services of Chris LaCivita, a senior strategist for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. No information has been provided about the cost of his services, or how these expenses are being financed.

Financial and legal risks: The revelations point to potentially serious breaches of Albania’s political financing laws, which require that all donations be declared and that donors be properly identified.

The involvement of electoral coalition structures and campaign strategists may also complicate DP’s position if funds originally justified as diaspora contributions for lobbying purposes are shown to have been used for domestic campaigning.

What’s next: The Democratic Party faces intensifying pressure to explain how the $6 million lobbying arrangement was structured, who funded it, and whether additional campaign services are being paid for through undisclosed channels.

Transparency over both the lobbying contract and any parallel agreements will be critical not only to legal compliance but to DP’s efforts to regain credibility before election day.