In this strategy memo, Don Deline, a lobbyist for Halliburton, an oil field services company, reports the results of a USA*Engage meeting, in which members discussed how best to react to the pro-sanctions Freedom from Religious Persecution Act, a bill proposed by Rep. Frank Wolf and Sen. Arlen Specter. During the meeting, Deline reports that two State Department officals, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bill Ramsay and David Moran, the director of the Office of Economic Sanctions Policy, told him that they didn’t like the bill, and they both suggested that USA*Engage find religious leaders to oppose it. By the end of the memo, the coalition has identified targets, including the Rev. Billy Graham, and Drew Christiansen (whose name is incorrectly identified as “Christian”) of the U.S. Catholic Conference. Both eventually opposed the legislation, which would punish countries with rights abuses against religious groups.
