The city issued a statement defending the ride, saying it was purely business and claiming they were not aware of any investigation.
The next black woman to be targeted by the Trump administration is Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser because. The New York Times The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a federal corruption investigation into the foreign trip he took with his wand paid by Qatar.
Reports say the investigation, overseen by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, has been ongoing for months, beginning in April 2025, according to a local television affiliate’s report, when Bowser and four members of his staff traveled to Dubai in 2023 for a United Nations conference. A letter from Qatari officials to Bowser’s office said Qatar paid more than $61,000 to bring Bowser and his team to Doha before the conference began. When questioned about the trip, the city said it was paid for by the DC Chamber of Commerce, but then insisted it was covered by the nonpartisan organization, the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
But later it turned out that the organization paid only a part of the trip.
The turmoil led to an ethics complaint filed by a nonprofit group called the Foundation for Accountability and Civil Trust, once led by Matthew G. Whittaker. While the extent of the ethics complaint is unknown, the city has released a statement protecting the journeysaying it’s strictly business. In addition, according to Newsweekthey were in the dark about the alleged DOJ investigation. “We have checked with our lawyers and the District has not been notified of any investigation. This was a business trip, DC representatives travel regularly to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth,” the statement said.
“This regular work has helped bring investment, infrastructure, new businesses, new grocery stores, growth and jobs to the District.”
The parameters of the case remain unclear, such as whether Bowser’s office did anything for the Qatari government in exchange for the trip, which would be a crucial element of possible bribery charges. Criminal cases involving campaign finance law must reveal any wrongdoing or misrepresentation that was intentional, not just errors in paperwork.
The timing of the alleged investigation is interesting because Trump has pressured the Court to go after some political enemies, many of them. being black, Democratic women leaders — in addition to terminating federal prosecutors who fail to bow to his orders. However, this is not the first time that political leaders have come under scrutiny for their relationship with the Middle Eastern country.
The president is one of them. Just months after taking office, the administration faced criticism from Congress after officially accepting a 747 jet from Qatar. labeled as upgrade to Air Force One. The massive jet, worth nearly $200 million, is one of the largest foreign gifts ever given to the US government.
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