Doug Ericksen

In May 2013, the Associated Press reported that Ericksen was "the biggest beneficiary of lobbyist expense accounts" among Washington state legislators during the first four months of 2013, receiving free meals, drinks or golf 62 times in that period. Ericksen said his meetings with lobbyists allow him to learn about issues, and argued that "A $49 dinner is not going to sway me from doing what's right for my constituents."[11][12]

In May 2018 Ericksen joined fellow state senator Michael Baumgartner, Representative Vincent Buys, and football coach Mike Leach on a trip to Cambodia.[13][14][15] He returned in July with Representatives Buys, Drew MacEwen, and Brandon Vick to observe the 2018 Cambodian general election, though MacEwen and Vick departed after the U.S. Ambassador expressed concerns about the election, which was widely called a "sham".[15][16][17] He met with Cambodia’s authoritarian prime minister Hun Sen[15][18] and later called the election "very free, very fair", saying the opposition party's elimination is a "political question".[19] Ericksen's actions were condemned by Governor Jay Inslee[15][20] and the NGO Human Rights Watch, which said of the delegation, "they hold in contempt the principles of free and fair elections, an independent media, and a neutral election administration—because all those things are lacking in Hun Sen’s Cambodia."[21] In a meeting with Sen at the United Nations in September, he called for allowing a search for MIA Vietnam War soldiers.[22]

Ericksen visited Prime Minister Hun Sen again in Phnom Penh in March 2019, where he stated his belief the 2018 Cambodian general election was "free, just and non-violent,"[23] as quoted by Cambodian media that inflated his position as "US Senator."[24][25] Cambodia's elections were widely criticized by human rights groups and international observers, and the White House said they were "neither free nor fair and failed to represent the will of the Cambodian people."[26][27] Some of Ericksen's travel was paid for by campaign funds, which state law requires to be used for official responsibilities.[25]

In April 2019, Ericksen registered as a foreign lobbyist for the Cambodian government; his consulting company co-owned with former state representative Jay Rodne will be paid $500,000 a year to arrange official visits between the countries and business leaders.[26][28] They are the only registered Cambodian agents besides a major lobbying firm in Washington, DC.[29] The move was criticized by Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho who sought to sanction Cambodia's "brutal dictatorship"