Conservative media targeted by Qatari foreign influence operations

Published May 17, 2025 12:22pm ET



After President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, foreign agents working on behalf of the Qatari government appear to have shifted their focus to right-wing media, fueling speculation that the terror-linked Gulf state is attempting to win influence among conservatives.

Between January 1, 2024, and election day, just over 10% of communications sent by Qatari foreign agents to the media were directed to conservative outlets or commenters, according to a Washington Examiner review of Department of Justice records. Since Republicans won control of the White House and Congress on election day, the proportion of messages sent by Qatari operatives to conservative outlets and commenters has surged to more than half of their total correspondence with the media.

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