Apparently on the defensive over its unorthodox entry into the US media market, Al Jazeera has hired a high-powered lobbying firm on Capitol Hill to stave off an investigation of the curious transaction with former Democrat Vice President Al Gore.

The firm, DLA Piper, represented Al Jazeera in the acquisition of Gore's Current TV, has an office in Qatar, which owns Al Jazeera, and is also active in the "Islamic financial services industry" in the Middle East.

"Al Jazeera America is assembling a K Street team to advocate for its cable news channel," reports The Hill. Current TV was purchased from Gore and other prominent Democrats, including Richard C. Blum, husband of Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein. Gore reportedly got $100 million out of the $500 million deal.

But DLA's top lobbyist on the Al Jazeera account is a Republican, Mark R. Paoletta, who used to work for President George H.W. Bush.

The term "K Street" refers to Washington, DC's expensive lobbying industry, a sure indication that Al Jazeera realizes it has to deploy huge sums of cash from its owner, the Emir of Qatar, to make sure its takeover of Gore's Current TV does not run into snags.

The Emir of Qatar, a multi-billionaire, runs a dictatorial regime that postures as America's friend in the Middle East but which supports the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Lobbying registration forms reveal that four lobbyists from the firm DLA Piper are on the Al Jazeera account. DLA Piper describes itself as a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries, including the Middle East.

One of its areas of interest is "Islamic Finance."

The firm says, "The worldwide Islamic financial services industry is thought to be worth in excess of US$1 trillion and, despite current global economic uncertainty, continues to demonstrate strong signs of growth as investors (Islamic and conventional) look to tap into the alternative source of liquidity offered by Shari'a compliant financing structures and products. "

Sharia refers to the totalitarian system of Islamic law.

"We consider ourselves to be more than just a global law firm but also a 'stakeholder' in the Islamic finance industry," DLA Piper says.

Mark Paoletta, a partner in DLA Piper's Federal Law and Policy group, is listed in the registration forms as one of the lobbyists for Al Jazeera. His specialty is "government investigations, with an emphasis on congressional investigations and hearings," as well as "crisis management."

READ FULL SOURCE ARTICLE: 02/13/2013