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Politico
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Politico
What William Bennett is doing for Qatar
With help from Daniel Lippman REPRESENTING QATAR: Former Education Secretary William Bennett registered as a foreign agent last month to provide the Qatari government with backup against accusations that it has funded antisemitic activity on college campuses. A filing with the Justice Department on Monday offers a glimpse at what exactly Bennett is doing for the Gulf nation. — 'I accepted this role so I could apply my experience and independent judgment to a growing body of accusations against Qatar,' the Reagan-era education chief wrote in a recent letter to current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, according to a copy filed with DOJ on Monday. The Qatari Embassy is paying Bennett a $30,000 monthly retainer for his work, DOJ filings show. — Foreign funding in U.S. academia — of which Qatar is a top provider — has become a major focus of congressional Republicans probing anti-Israel protests at colleges. It was the subject of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April. — Bennett refuted the notion that Qatar has sought to exert 'malign influence' or sought to foster antisemitism on campuses. Many of the gifts attributed to Qatar in federal disclosure databases are tied to satellite campuses in Doha operated by more than half a dozen U.S. colleges — a model that 'should be recognized as a constructive extension of American educational leadership,' he wrote. — Moreover, Bennett claimed his review found that some of the worst allegations about Qatari influence on campuses were the result of a 'coordinated campaign of distortion led primarily by third-party advocacy groups' such as the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, 'whose motivations and funding sources deserve far more scrutiny than they have received.' — The think tank, which has previously received funding from the Israeli government, has been one of the top critics of Qatar's gifts to universities, with its leaders and research featured in numerous congressional hearings on the matter. — Bennett lauded McMahon's push for greater transparency into foreign influence in academia, repeatedly pointing to his own registration as a foreign agent as proof. But 'if the Department is to evaluate the influence of foreign funding in higher education,' he wrote, 'it should do so comprehensively and impartially, including examining the foreign ties, funding sources, and lobbying activities of those making the loudest accusations.' — 'Contrary to the false assertions by Mr. Bennett, ISGAP is an independent non-partisan high calibre research Centre,' Charles Asher Small, ISGAP's executive director, told PI in an email. 'Unlike Mr [Bennett], ISGAP does not work with, or for, foreign entities, like the Qatari Regime his client.' Small said that the group had received a $123,000 grant from the Israeli government in 2019 'for a university based academic programme,' but that it was the 'only occasion in ISGAPs history that we received a grant from a government.' — 'Mr. Bennett quotes false reports designed to dismiss our fact based research that points to the dangers of unreported foreign funding of American higher education by entities, like the undemocratic Qatari regime with … close relations to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and to other terror entities.' Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI. Keep sending influence tips and scoops from whichever waterside locale you're spending recess in. Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17 and email me at coprysko@ and you can add Daniel on Signal at danielbarnes.13 and email Daniel at dbarnes@ And follow us on X: @caitlinoprysko and @dnlbrns. AFGE'S ADVOCACY SHOP GETS AN OVERHAUL: The largest union representing federal employees is retooling its advocacy operations amid the Trump administration's moves to slash and dramatically reshape the federal workforce. — The American Federation of Government Employees announced today that it's bringing together staffers working on political, grassroots, education, community relations and comms for the union under the umbrella of a newly formed 'Advocacy Department.' — Andrew Huddleston, who has led AFGE's comms team for the past seven years, will lead the new advocacy unit. Brittany Holder will move up to communications director, and AFGE's political and field staff will be led by an as-yet-unnamed director. — AFGE's lobbying arm will remain separate from the advocacy department. But the union tapped Daniel Horowitz, who's been heading up AFGE's Hill outreach on an interim basis since January, to fill the role permanently. — 'The idea is for AFGE to be ready to act fast when events break, while also pursuing our long-term goals: winning for our members, protecting the integrity of our government, building stronger partnerships with allies, and making AFGE more powerful and influential for decades to come,' Huddleston told PI of the reorg. — AFGE has been on the front lines of the Trump administration's war with the federal workforce as Elon Musk's DOGE cost-cutting initiative moved to shutter entire agencies, steamroll career employees and obtain access to sensitive government data. The administration has also taken aim at federal workers' rights to unionize altogether and last week moved to cancel collective bargaining agreements for EPA employees. — But the administration attacks on the federal bureaucracy have already hit the union hard, and AFGE announced in April that it would lay off more than half of its own workforce. CREDIT UNIONS TAP NUSSLE'S SUCCESSOR: America's Credit Unions has picked Scott Simpson as the next president and chief executive of the trade group. Simpson will take over in November from former Rep. Jim Nussle, who announced his retirement in April. Simpson is currently president and CEO of the California Credit Union League and Nevada's Credit Unions in addition to serving as CEO of Utah's Credit Union Association. — At America's Credit Unions, which formed last year as the result of a merger between the two leading trade groups for credit unions, the Credit Union National Association and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, Simpson has served on the group's legislative action council and led its national advocacy fund. BLUESKY LOBBIES UP: Bluesky Social, the upstart microblogging platform angling to dethrone Musk's X, has hired its first federal lobbyists. The Vogel Group began working last month to provide 'general awareness and education building about decentralized platforms' like Bluesky, according to a newly filed disclosure. Republican lobbyist and firm founder Alex Vogel is working on the account along with Ali Khimji, Gabby Smith and Isabelle Drayer. — Bluesky was started in 2019 as a research project by Twitter architect and then-CEO Jack Dorsey to explore decentralization, which allows users to store their data on independent servers rather than ones owned by the company. Bluesky launched its social media app years later after spinning off from Twitter before Musk's takeover. — It has shown more staying power than some of the other social networks competing to replace Dorsey's old site, and saw another surge of new users following Trump's election last year. But X remains dominant over Bluesky Social and Meta Platforms' copycat site Threads, TechCrunch reported last month. ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: New DNC Chair Ken Martin 'is taking a symbolic step toward curbing the influence of undisclosed and corporate funds in his party's 2028 presidential primary,' The New York Times' Reid Epstein reports, 'a move that is likely to instigate a broader conversation about the role of big money in Democratic politics.' — Martin's plans include tasking a new reform committee with coming up with 'real, enforceable steps the D.N.C. can take to eliminate unlimited corporate and dark money in its 2028 presidential primary process' by next summer. — 'The move is the first significant maneuver from Mr. Martin to shape the party's next presidential nominating process,' the Times writes. But 'how much bite the effort has will be determined in large part by the enforcement mechanism the party seeks to implement,' especially as some Democrats have called for going toe to toe against the GOP in other political arenas like redistricting. SPOTTED on Saturday at the Edgartown home of April Miller Boise and David Willbrand for a fundraiser benefiting the DSCC and Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), per a tipster: Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, co-hosts Paul and Sonya Brathwaite of Federal Street Strategies; Art Collins of TheGROUP, Larry Parks of Forethought Advisors, Hasoni Pratts of the National Urban League, former Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, Dawn Smalls of Jenner & Block, Bert Smyers of New Heights Research, Robyn Minter Smyers of Thompson Hine and Crystal Wagar of The Southern Group and TSG Advocates; Mo Cowan of Devoted Health, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Veronica Duron of Booker's office, Joy Russell of Alsobrooks' office, Will Washington of Blunt Rochester's office and Meredith Lilly of Warnock's office. Jobs report — Elliott Echols is now senior vice president at Frontline Government Relations. He previously was national political director at the RNC. — Stephanie Waties is returning to APCO as a senior director in D.C. She was previously a senior vice president at LSG and previously spent almost eight years at APCO. — Tatiana Rice is being elevated to the senior director role for the Future of Privacy Forum's U.S. legislation team, per Morning Tech. She was previously the team's director, and has been at the company for nearly four years. — Todd Breasseale is now chief communications and brand officer at Brighton Marine, Inc. He's a former Biden DoD and Obama DHS spokesperson. — The Plastics Industry Association has added Hodayah Finman as senior director of regulatory affairs and Ivy Brittain as regional director of state government affairs. Finman was previously the acting director of EPA's Office of International Affairs and Brittain most recently served as legislative affairs director for the Northern California Water Association. — Mollie Timmons is now a senior adviser for public affairs at NTIA. She previously was communications manager at the American Petroleum Institute and is a Morgan Griffith and Rob Portman alum. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs The 218 Project (Super PAC) Fight4Michigan (Super PAC) Golden State Voices United (Super PAC) Government That Works PAC (Hybrid PAC) Hispanic Next Generation PAC (Hybrid PAC) VOLUNTEER OHIO TO ELECT REPUBLICANS (Hybrid PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS C6 Strategies, LLC (Fka Ms. Dana W. Hudson): Distributed Spectrum Capitol Counsel LLC: Levin Management Corporation Capitol Hill Policy Group LLC: Odawi Law Pllc Obo National Haskell Board Of Regents Cfm Strategic Communications (Conkling Fiskum & Mccormick): Detroit Lake Foundation Dla Piper LLP (US): Ira Watchdog The Artemis Group, LLC (Oklahoma): Dawn Aerospace Thorn Run Partners: Ava Labs, Inc. Thorn Run Partners: Avalanche Bvi, Inc. Thorn Run Partners: Ledger Sas Thorn Run Partners: Makpar Corporation Thorn Run Partners: Metrika, Inc. Thorn Run Partners: Wisdomtree Digital Management New Lobbying Terminations Foley Federal & International Affairs, Inc.: National Federation Of Croatian Americans Saunders Global Diplomacy: Desert Mountain Energy Schools That Can: Schools That Can Thomas Marquez: Turbovets
Memri
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 31, August 8, 2025
Ghaith Al-Omari (Source: Washington Institute) 1. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 12109, Qatar-Affiliated Journalists And Islamic Scholars Criticize Call To Disarm Hamas Issued By UN High-Level International Conference For Implementation Of Two State Solution: It Is A 'Betrayal Of Allah,' 'Collaboration With The Enemy'; Rights Will Be Achieved Only By Force, August 5, 2025. This call is in contradiction to Qatar's own vote in support of the decision to disarm Hamas taken in the conference convened by President Macron and Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 2. MEMRI Daily Brief No. 830, After The Israel-America-Iran War, What Can President Trump Do Now? By Yigal Carmon, August 5, 2025. If the regime is not changed, Shi'ite Iran on the one hand, and, Sunni Turkey, Syria, and Qatar on the other – who unlike Iran pretend to be allies of America but in fact, are absolute enemies – may bring the region into chaos. Regime change does not necessarily involve deploying American troops. It is enough to politically support the rights of ethnic minorities, 50% of Iran's population, against the Ayatollah's repression. 3. "The amount that this country is willing to disregard Qatar's impact... is mind-boggling." Ghaith Al-Omari ( @ GhAlOmari ), Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, delivers a stark message at the ISGAP Capitol Hill Policy Workshop: Qatar's role in destabilizing the region is clear, yet America continues to turn a blind eye. ISGAP, August 5, 2025. His remarks align with ISGAP's Qatar Report, exposing how Qatari funding and influence empower Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and a broader Islamist agenda that undermines peace and democracy. See full 2023 report here. 4. Democratic Congressman Landsman from Ohio calls on Qatar to detain Hamas leaders until hostages are freed, Jewish Insider, August 4, 2025. 5. I24 reporter criticizes Qatar: Hamas, HTS, ISIS, Qatar – One ideology that will destroy humanity unless we destroy it first, Laura Cellier on X, August 4, 2025. 6. Gazan student deported from France to Qatar due to her antisemitic social media posts, Times of Israel, August 3, 2025. 7. Qatargate: Serbia Labels Questioning of Israeli Spin Doctor "Confidential," Balkan Insight, July 25, 2025. * Yigal Carmon is Founder and President of MEMRI.
National Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar have established extensive network across Canada: report
The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization that has declared 'jihad against the Jews,' has established a vast network of charities and fundraising across Canada, a new think-tank report finds. Article content 'For decades, organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is also an adherent, have managed to embed themselves at all levels of Canadian society,' the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) argues. Article content Its latest report, 'We Stand on Guard For Thee? The Growing Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on Politics, Academia, and Civil Society in America,' was published Wednesday morning. The organization features Canada's former justice minister Irwin Cotler on its board of directors. Article content Article content Hamas is a Palestinian offshoot of the Brotherhood. Article content 'This report is a wake-up call for all Canadians,' ISGAP board advisor Charles Asher Small told National Post in a written statement. Small called on the federal government to 'designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and 'immediately freeze public funding to suspect organizations.' 'Our report exposes how federal agencies have become complicit in sustaining and legitimizing networks that promote antisemitic and anti-Israel ideologies under the guise of charity and social welfare,' Small wrote. 'These entities are exploiting the very values of tolerance and pluralism that Canada holds dear, weaponizing public institutions against Jewish communities and undermining Canadian democracy itself.' Article content The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, a Florida-based research group, highlighted several Canadian charities that have extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, alleging that they exploit Canadian laws to raise money for Muslim Brotherhood factions in the Middle East. Of particular concern to the think-tank is the Muslim Association of Canada, which describes itself as the 'largest Muslim grassroots Canadian charitable organization.' In 2021, an audit conducted by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) found 'the concept of the Muslim Brotherhood appeared' in the charity's 'governing documents.' Article content
Memri
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 10, March 14, 2025
1. MEMRI Daily Brief Tucker Carlson Whitewashes America's Enemies – Part I: Qatar, By Yigal Carmon, March 13, 2024. 2. New ISGAP Report Exposes Anti-Israel Bias Fueled by Secretive Qatari Influence in U.S. K-12 Classrooms, ISGAP, March 13, 2025. 3. Analysis: Al-Jazeera Platforms Hamas's "Resistance" At Annual Conference, Long War Journal, February 27, 2025. 4. Israeli PM Netanyahu To Sue Ex-Defense Minister Ya'alon For Suggesting He Received Millions From Qatar, Times of Israel, March 12, 2025. See also MEMRI report on Project Raven documents and Netanyahu, MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1734, 'Project Raven' – The Origin Of The Qatari Government Letters Leak, by Yigal Carmon, December 22, 2024. 5. How a Billionaire Netanyahu Associate Sought to Buy Quiet in Gaza, With Qatari Money, Haaretz, March 14, 2025. 6. MEMRI advertisements against Qatar, published in The Washington Post, November 5, 2023, and The New York Times, September 10, 2019: The Washington Post, November 5, 2023 The New York Times, September 10, 2019. * Yigal Carmon is President and Founder of MEMRI.
