Bowser defends Qatar trip as scrutiny grows
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Mayor Muriel Bowser is defending a 2023 trip to Qatar that's drawn scrutiny, though she is not a target of a potential federal investigation linked to the visit.
Why it matters: Any mention of an investigation is an awkward distraction, especially for a mayor weighing a fourth-term bid.
Catch up quick: We'll try to clarify what we know.
- Last Thursday, a Trump administration official told Axios that Bowser is not under federal investigation, denying a New York Times report published the same day.
- "The mayor's name was mentioned in something, but she is not the target nor being investigated," a senior administration official told Axios.
- U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro confirmed the same to Axios on Monday.
The Qatar visit was part of a Middle East trip. Before flying to the U.N. Climate Conference in Dubai, Bowser and four aides stopped in Qatar's capital city of Doha.
- Qatar paid $61,000 for round-trip tickets and two nights at a hotel, as originally reported by ABC 7, which scrutinized the Bowser administration's shifting answers about who picked up the tab. (Bowser's aide initially told Qatari officials the city would pay their own way, according to an email acquired via FOIA by WAMU.)
- Bowser's office described it as a "business trip" to promote "Washington as a destination for investment and growth."
State of play: The latest reporting by the Washington Post suggests that the trip itself is under some kind of probe, but that the mayor is not being investigated for wrongdoing.
- But the status of the case is unclear. It's also worth noting news of a potential investigation comes amid upheaval and turnover of prosecutors inside the Department of Justice.