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At least six officials in Donald Trump's administration, including the president himself, have previously done business in or with Qatar.
Qatar has been in the news amid criticism of Trump's intention to accept a $400 million plane as a gift from Qatar's royal family. The Boeing 747-8 will be retrofitted with state-of-the-art security and communications to serve as Air Force One. Critics have noted that Qatar has faced criticism for its human rights record. Others warned the gift amounts to foreign influence and may require congressional approval.
Meanwhile, Trump visited Qatar on Wednesday as part of his trip to the Middle East. There, he announced defense and aviation deals with the nation.
Below, Newsweek has examined links between U.S. government officials and the Middle East nation.
Donald Trump
The president has business dealings with Qatar. In April, the Trump Organization—the holding company for Trump's hotels, golf courses and other businesses—announced a new deal to develop a luxury golf resort in the country.
Newsweek previously contacted the Trump Organization about this deal.
Susie Wiles
Trump Chief of Staff Wiles was co-chair of lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs in its Florida and Washington, D.C. offices, when it represented Qatar's embassy in the U.S. capital, per disclosure filings with the Department of Justice.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, told Newsweek: "Chief of Staff Wiles has fully complied with all legal and ethical laws required by federal government employees. In her prior professional work, she never lobbied for Qatar. This is a non-story."
Kash Patel
Patel, the FBI director, served as a security and intelligence consultant to the Embassy of Qatar through his firm, Trishul LLC, from early 2021 until November 2024, according to ethics disclosures, earning at least $5,000 from advising Qatari officials on U.S. public and policy engagement, according to documents seen by The Intercept.
For some of that period, Trump's leadership PAC paid Patel more than $300,000 to act as a national security adviser to the 2024 campaign. Critics argue Patel should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his Qatar work, yet neither he nor Trishul LLC appeared on the FARA registry before his Senate confirmation in January, according to civic-rights watchdogs.
"[It leaves] open the important question of exactly what Patel did for Qatar when he was serving as a national security adviser to President Trump during the 2024 election," State Democracy Defenders Action founder Norman Eisen wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in February.
"While providing national security consulting services to the embassy, Mr. Patel fully complied with all legal and ethical obligations," said Erica Knight, Patel's adviser.
Pam Bondi
The attorney general previously worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022.
In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including Amazon.
"I am very proud of the work that I did. It was a short time, and I wish that it had been longer, for Qatar," she said during her Senate confirmation hearing.
Gates McGavick, DOJ spokesperson said: "With a track record of success as attorney general of Florida, AG Bondi advised Qatar on how to combat human trafficking which had become a major problem among workers being imported to construct World Cup facilities. This was reviewed both during the Senate confirmation process and by career ethics officials at the Department of Justice, who determined that her prior work presents no conflict."
Steve Witkoff
Witkoff works as the special envoy to the Middle East and is accompanied Trump on his trip to the region.
In 2023, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund bought out his investment in New York's Park Lane Hotel for $623 million.
Responding to criticisms that his diplomacy was influenced by Qatar, Witkoff told The Atlantic on Wednesday: "I was in the tunnels with the head of Southern Command. Does that sound like I'm a Qatari sympathizer?"
"I am no Qatari sympathizer," he added. "What I am is a truth teller."
Anna Kelly, deputy press secretary at the White House said: "These types of baseless accusations only serve to distract from all of Steve Witkoff's incredible work in service to the country.
"Mr. Witkoff left behind a massive business enterprise to serve as special envoy and the results speak for themselves, including the release of Edan Alexander and Marc Fogel. The president is incredibly proud of Mr. Witkoff and all that he has accomplished and will continue to leverage his talents to advance his America First foreign policy vision."
Lee Zeldin
Zeldin, who is the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), worked for a venture capital firm which was founded by a Qatari royal.
According to financial disclosures seen by Politico, Zelden received at least $5,000 since January 2023 for work with Heritage Advisors, run by Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani.
Qatar's links to Trump's administration may run deeper. In 2018, The Wall Street Journal claimed the country had a list of 250 people close to Trump to influence him.
Newsweek contacted the EPA to comment.
Update 5/18/2025, 5:53 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further comment.
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About the writer
Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more