by Sharelle B. McNair
November 8, 2025
The mayor’s office released a statement defending the trip saying it was strictly business and claim to be unaware of any investigation.
The next Black woman to be targeted by the Trump Administration is Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, as The New York Times reported the Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a federal corruption investigation into a foreign trip she took with her staff being paid by Qatar.
Reports allege the investigation, overseen by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, has been going on for months, starting in April 2025, resulting from a report from a local TV affiliate when Bowser and four members of her staff took a trip to Dubai in 2023 for a United Nations conference. A letter sent to Bowser’s office from Qatari officials highlights Qatar paying more than $61,000 to bring Bowser and her team to Doha before the conference started. When questioned about the trip, the mayor’s office said it was paid for by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce but then claimed it was covered by a nonpartisan organization, the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
However, later it was revealed that the organization only paid a portion of the trip.
The confusion resulted in an ethics complaint being filed by a nonprofit group called the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, once led by acting attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term, Matthew G. Whitaker. While it is unknown how far the ethics complaint went, the mayor’s office released a statement defending the trip, saying it was strictly business. In addition, according to Newsweek, they have been in the dark about the DOJ’s alleged investigation. “We have checked with our lawyers, and the District has not been notified of any investigation. This was a business trip; DC representatives regularly travel to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth,” the statement read.
“This regular work has helped bring investment, infrastructure, new business, new grocery stores, growth, and jobs to the District.”
Parameters surrounding the case are still unclear, such as pinpointing if Bowser’s office did anything for the Qatari government in return for the trip, which would be a crucial element for allegations of potential bribery. Criminal cases involving campaign finance law would have to reveal any wrongdoing or misstatements that were intentional, rather than just mistakes within paperwork.
The timing of the alleged investigation is interesting as Trump has put pressure on the DOJ to prosecute some political enemies — many of them being Black, Democratic women leaders — in addition to terminating federal prosecutors who fail to bow down to his orders. However, this isn’t the first time political leaders have been under scrutiny for having dealings with the Middle Eastern nation.
The president is one of them. Just months after taking office, the administration was under fire from Congress after formally accepting a 747 jetliner from Qatar, labeled as an upgrade to Air Force One. Valued at close to $200 million, the massive aircraft is one of the largest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government.
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