Politics

In a curious twist during his confirmation process, Kash Patel failed to disclose significant personal financial information until after the Senate hearing in January on his nomination to become FBI director. Consequently, one peculiar item listed on his financial disclosure form received no attention during that hearing: Patel’s work as a consultant for the embassy of Qatar. On this document, Patel did not specify what he did for Qatar or how much he was paid.

Even now—nearly three months after he took the helm of the nation’s top law enforcement agency—the details of Patel’s Qatari connection remain a mystery.

Patel is just one of several top Trump administration aides who have had financial ties to this Arab monarchy.

• Susan Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, worked for a lobbying firm that represented Qatar.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi lobbied for the Qataris.
• Mike Huckabee, now US Ambassador to Israel, was paid $50,000 to visit Qatar in 2018.
• Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, also has pocketed money from Qatar.
• In 2023, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund bought the Park Lane Hotel from Witkoff’s company in a $623 million deal.
• The Trump Organization itself recently struck a deal to develop a luxury golf resort in Qatar. And now Qatar is considering handing as a gift to Trump a jumbo airliner worth about $400 million for Trump to use as Air Force One. The plan reportedly is for the 747 to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library foundation after he leaves office, where it could come under his personal control.