An investigation with Trump's advisor on charges of "pressing in favor of Qatar" in the Yemen file

English - Thursday 26 August 2021 الساعة 03:40 pm
NewsYemen, Wall Street:

An American newspaper revealed, on Wednesday, that a federal investigation was conducted with a Republican member of the pressure group and an adviser to the campaign of former US President Donald Trump, on charges of lobbying in favor of the State of Qatar, during the period of disputes between Doha and Gulf countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Wall Street Journal said federal prosecutors are investigating Barry Bennett over allegations that he secretly created and financed a US-based lobby group, without disclosing its ties to the Qatar government, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bennett founded Avenue Strategies, based in Washington, shortly after Trump's election, and signed - according to the newspaper - a contract to represent Qatar a few months later, according to company records.

At that time, Qatar was in a stage of disputes that amounted to a boycott with the Gulf states and Egypt.

The newspaper said that Bennett received $3 million from Doha for his work, which included developing a "long-term plan to create closer relations between the United States and the State of Qatar," according to the records.

Bennett is accused of having created and financed a political group called "Crisis Monitor in Yemen", according to the newspaper's sources, as a way to embarrass Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which at that time were engaged in a military campaign against the Houthi militia - Iran's arm in Yemen.

This organization was not registered with the US government, as the law requires organizations that represent foreign interests, and Bennett was not informed that he created or funded the organization.

The American newspaper says that the company provided $250,000 in October 2017 to fund “relief support for humanitarian suffering in Yemen.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Qatari embassy did not respond to a request for comment on the accusations, and Bennett also refused to comment, as did a US Department of Justice spokesman.

Bennett has previously been the subject of investigations into financial issues brought by a former aide.

He is also under a court ruling related to one of those cases, and was criticized by a judge in a Maryland state court for not carrying out court orders, according to the American Politico website.

The "Wall Street Journal" said that the "Yemen Crisis Watch" organization had an active presence on social media in late 2017, and also received a defense of the issues it raises by a "prominent evangelical priest and Republican politician" who "published articles in Washington newspapers."  .

A few days after the pastor and politician spoke before Congress at a hearing, Avenue Strategies made two contributions, each worth $2,000, to fund the politician's 2018 election campaign, the newspaper said.

The two individuals did not respond to a request for comment on this information provided by the newspaper.