The Department of Justice has reportedly opened a corruption probe into Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser over a Qatar-funded flight.
The mayor’s office said that it had not been notified of any investigation into the mayor’s travel. It confirmed the flight at the center of the reported probe, but said that all “proper paperwork for this standard donation is on file,” according to The New York Times.
“We have checked with our lawyers, and the District has not been notified of any investigation. This was a business trip; DC representatives regularly travel to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth. This regular work has helped bring investment, infrastructure, new business, new grocery stores, growth, and jobs to the District,” Bowser’s office told Newsweek in a statement.
“In some cases, economic development funds are used for the business travel; in other cases, the host or organizer cover the expenses,” the statement continued.
The Justice Department reportedly began to scrutinize the mayor’s overseas travels after a local D.C. outlet, WJLA, reported that Qatar paid $61,930 for flights to Doha for the mayor and four of her staff in 2023. Afterward, the mayor and her entourage jetted over to Dubai for a climate change conference.
Bowser kept poor records of her trip to Qatar and other jaunts in the United States and to other foreign countries, according to WJLA. At the time of the report, WJLA found no record of a donation agreement between the mayor’s office and Qatar, which is required by D.C. law.
When first questioned about the trip, Bowser’s office initially claimed that it has been covered by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce before telling reporters that the cost was actually borne by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. WJLA later discovered that the trip was in part funded by the Qatari government after obtaining documents through an open records request.
