Trumpworld in Riyadh

Trump donor Brian Ballard plans Riyadh lobbying outpost

Ballard Partners has tapped Jasmine Zaki to lead the new office

Traffic in downtown Riyadh at sunset. (Photo: Getty Images)

A lobbying firm run by Brian Ballard, a top fundraiser for Donald Trump, is opening an office in Riyadh, its third outpost in the region where it already has a presence in Tel Aviv and Istanbul.

Ballard Partners has tapped Jasmine Zaki, a former senior legal counsel for Bechtel and the chair of the board of the Middle East Policy Council, to lead the new office and its MENA practice as Managing Partner, joined by influential Saudi businessman Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Meleihi and former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) Politico reports.

“After meeting with government officials during my recent trip to the region, I am confident in the success of the kingdom’s strategic framework for reform, Saudi Vision 2030,” Ballard said in a statement, adding that the firm’s footprint there “will allow us to better serve our clients’ interests in the region and beyond.”