Iceland has retained a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., to provide strategic advice on navigating relations with the United States government, a move that follows President Donald Trump's repeated confusion between Iceland and Greenland.
The Bulwark reported that Iceland's ambassador to the U.S., Svanhildur Hólm Valsdóttir, signed an agreement with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. A Department of Justice filing dated last Wednesday included a letter from attorney Jason Buckner outlining the deal, which carries a monthly retainer of $25,000 for six months.
The lobbying firm is expected to introduce Icelandic officials to U.S. government stakeholders and offer constructive feedback on emerging priorities for Iceland, according to the filing.
The timing has raised eyebrows, coming a week after Mr Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he said of European nations: “They’re not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you.” It was Greenland, however, that European leaders had rebuked him over. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later claimed falsely that Mr Trump had not mixed up the two territories.
Adding to the diplomatic friction, Mr Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland, Billy Long, joked to former House colleagues earlier in January that the country would become America's 52nd state with himself as governor. Mr Long later apologised, saying his remarks were not serious and that he was joking with friends. The Icelandic embassy in Washington has been contacted for comment.
