Leak Reveals Covert PR Campaign Targeting Armenian Advocacy in Washington
Aram Hamparian,, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) says a recently leaked communication from Apollo Strategic Communications offers a rare glimpse into what he describes as long-running efforts to undermine Armenian advocacy in Washington.
Speaking in an interview with 168.TV, he said such influence campaigns are not new, but the leak has provided unusual visibility into how they operate.
“The fact that there are information operations run by governments and corporate interests, allies of Azerbaijan and allies of Turkey, against the ANCA is nothing new,” he said. “What is new in this instance is that we got a look behind the curtain.”
According to him, the leaked material appears to confirm suspicions that advocacy organizations working on Armenian issues are frequently targeted through indirect media strategies.
“We were able to peer into what would otherwise be in the shadows and got the proof of what we already knew, that there are efforts to undermine our work precisely because we’re effective and respected,” he said.
Aram Hamparian said ANCA has attempted to contact Apollo Strategic Communications and its parent company, RSK Group, seeking clarification about the alleged campaign.
So far, he said, those attempts have not been successful.
“We’ve reached out to all the stakeholders on their side of the equation and asked for clarification and have not been able to get any answers,” he said.
He also claimed that changes were made to the firm’s online presence shortly after the issue became public: “They eliminated the name of the staff member who wrote that email from their staff page, and they deactivated their Twitter account,” he said. “Last I checked, they weren’t answering phone calls either.”
The ANCA representative said the organization is examining whether the activities described in the leaked document could raise legal questions related to lobbying transparency.
In the United States, organizations representing foreign interests must register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if they attempt to influence policy or public opinion.
“If Apollo Strategic Communications is undertaking influence operations in Washington as a foreign entity, they would need to register,” he said. “We saw no evidence that they have registered.”
He added that similar disclosure requirements exist in the United Kingdom.
Throughout the interview, Aram Hamparian contrasted the organization’s advocacy with what he described as covert influence efforts: “The ANCA has represented Armenian Americans for more than 130 years,” he said. “All of our advocacy has been done out in the open.”
He emphasized that the organization publishes press releases, organizes public events, and communicates openly about its policy goals: “We do everything out in the light of day. We’re proud of that and we have nothing to hide,” he said.
By contrast, he said the alleged outreach described in the memo relied on anonymous or off-the-record sources: “Absent this leak, Apollo would still be operating in the shadows, telling journalists they could speak off the record to people who would criticize the ANCA,” he said.
One of the most important unanswered questions, according to the ANCA representative, is the identity of the client who allegedly hired the PR firm: “To this day, we do not know who hired Apollo,” he said. “They’re obviously being paid by somebody. I don’t think they’re doing this as a charity.”
He also pointed to Apollo’s ownership structure as a possible factor worth examining.
Apollo Strategic Communications was acquired in 2024 by RSK Group, a multinational company that has extensive business activity in the energy sector, including projects in Azerbaijan.
“Their parent company does a ton of energy work in Azerbaijan,” he said. “A lot of their profits come from relationships with Azerbaijan and the Caspian energy industry.”
He added that this connection could provide a possible motive, though no direct evidence linking governments to the campaign has been publicly confirmed.
The leaked document also referenced several individuals of Armenian origin and from Armenia who were described as potential participants in media outreach.
The ANCA representative said the situation is troubling but that those individuals should respond directly to the PR firm if their names were used inaccurately.
According to him, coordinated lobbying and public relations efforts aimed at weakening Armenian advocacy groups are ongoing: “It’s a nonstop proposition,” he said. “Our opponents don’t want to challenge us out in the open on issues like the Armenian Genocide or Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.”
Instead, he argued, critics often resort to personal attacks or indirect media campaigns: “If they want to debate us, we’re happy to do that,” he said. “But they should step out from behind the curtain.”
The ANCA representative suggested the controversy may reveal only a small portion of a broader landscape of influence campaigns. “If one of these schemes was revealed, there are probably dozens that have not been revealed,” he said. For the Armenian community, he said, the episode is a reminder of the importance of vigilance. “These kinds of operations are run against us all the time,” he said. “That’s why we need to remain vigilant and support our community and our institutions.”
By Razmik Martirosyan
