Qatar’s influence operations have dramatically intensified following the 2024 election, with foreign agents shifting their focus from general media outreach to specifically targeting right-wing outlets and commentators. On 17 May 2025, the Washington Examiner reported that Department of Justice records show Qatari operatives increased their communications to conservative media from just over 10% before the election to more than half of their total media correspondence after Republicans won control of the government. The article begins:
After President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, foreign agents working on behalf of the Qatari government appear to have shifted their focus to right-wing media, fueling speculation that the terror-linked Gulf state is attempting to win influence among conservatives. Between January 1, 2024, and election day, just over 10% of communications sent by Qatari foreign agents to the media were directed to conservative outlets or commenters, according to a Washington Examiner review of Department of Justice records. Since Republicans won control of the White House and Congress on election day, the proportion of messages sent by Qatari operatives to conservative outlets and commenters has surged to more than half of their total correspondence with the media. Perhaps Qatar’s biggest victory in its post-election right-wing media campaign thus far was securing an interview between Tucker Carlson and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in March. The interview, which has raked up nearly six million views across X and YouTube, was friendly, with Carlson praising the country.
Key Points
- Qatar secured a high-profile Tucker Carlson interview with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, paying Lumen8 Advisors $180,000 monthly for media consulting
- Foreign agents targeted Fox News Digital, Just The News, New York Post, Daily Mail, and Washington Examiner with story pitches following Trump’s election victory
- GRV Strategies, founded by Republican insider Garrett Ventry, receives $80,000 monthly from Qatar to assist with media relations and story placement
- Qatar gifted a $400 million luxury jet to the Department of Defense for transfer to Trump’s presidential library, raising ethics concerns about foreign influence
Qatar Lobbying Operations: Elite Networks and Political Influence
Qatar’s influence operations have increasingly relied on high-level lobbying and elite engagement to shape political landscapes across the West. Confidential discussions involving luxury jets with key US officials highlight how Doha leverages both material incentives and direct access to decision-makers to advance its interests. In Israel, close associates of top political leaders were enlisted in public relations campaigns to burnish Qatar’s image, blurring the lines between diplomacy and paid advocacy. The US political sphere has seen former and current officials implicated in lobbying and bribery scandals tied to Qatar, with legal cases revealing the depth of Doha’s penetration into Washington’s corridors of power.
Meanwhile, European institutions have documented repeated attempts by Qatar to manipulate democratic processes through lobbying and financial incentives, including payments to lawmakers and public relations campaigns. These efforts collectively demonstrate how Qatar strategically employs elite networks, financial leverage, and media engagement to secure influence, often operating at the intersection of diplomacy, lobbying, and covert political maneuvering.
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Disclaimer
The Global Influence Operations Report (GIOR) employs AI throughout the posting process, including generating summaries of news items, the introduction, key points, and often the “context” section. We recommend verifying all information before use. Additionally, images are AI-generated and intended solely for illustrative purposes. While they represent the events or individuals discussed, they should not be interpreted as real-world photography.
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