Congressional Radio-TV Gallery pulls RT’s credentials after it registered as a foreign agent

The Congressional Radio and TV Correspondents’ gallery officially pulled a Russian network’s media credentials on Capitol Hill on Wednesday after the organization was forced to register as a foreign agent. 

“The rules of the Galleries state clearly that news credentials may not be issued to any applicant employed by any ‘foreign government or representative thereof,'” Radio-Television Correspondents’ Association Chairman Craig Caplan wrote in a letter to RT news director Mikhail Solodovnikov, according to CNN.

“Upon its registration as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registrations Act (FARA), RT Network became ineligible to hold news credentials,” Caplan wrote.

{mosads}”By rule, the Executive Committee notified the Senate Rules Committee and the Office of the House Speaker of its decision,” the letter added.

The letter comes after the production company for RT officially registered as a foreign agent earlier this month. 

The company, T&R Productions, is based in Washington and filed the paperwork. 

Registering as a foreign agent is required for any foreign entity that does work on behalf of a foreign government, political party or official in the United States. 

RT had resisted pressure from the Justice Department, which had been pushing for the disclosure in the wake of the ongoing federal and congressional probes into Russian election meddling, to file as a foreign agent.

The Russian Embassy in the U.S. hit back against the Justice Department’s request earlier this month and warned of an “an immediate symmetrical response.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a law last week that allows the Kremlin to force foreign media to register as foreign agents and disclose the sources of their funding.