Politics
NEW: Top Democrat Embroiled In New Scandal Involving Foreign Country
Washington, D.C. Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser is facing mounting questions over a series of undisclosed and dubiously funded international trips—most notably a $61,930 jaunt to Qatar in 2023.
A months-long investigation by the 7News I-Team uncovered that the nation of Qatar footed the bill for Bowser and four staff members to travel to Doha in 2023. But the trip—along with other lavish excursions to places like Dubai, Miami, Las Vegas, and the Masters Golf Tournament—was never properly recorded or disclosed in accordance with D.C. law.
The mayor’s office initially denied the Qatar payment altogether. In a July 2024 email, Bowser’s Communications Director, Susana Castillo, told reporters that the D.C. Chamber of Commerce had covered Bowser’s travel to Dubai for a climate conference. But that claim quickly unraveled. “The Chamber said that was not true,” the outlet reported.
In a subsequent phone call, Castillo shifted the explanation again, now saying the U.S. Conference of Mayors had paid.
Washington/USA – January 25, 2019: Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser serving workers affected by the government shutdown at Chef José Andrés World Central Kitchen, #FoodForFeds program.
But the most damning evidence came from a letter obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, showing Qatar had indeed covered more than $61,000 in travel expenses as an “in-kind donation.” The mayor and her staff then continued on to Dubai for a United Nations Climate Change Conference, staying at luxury accommodations along the way.
According to the D.C. Code and Bowser’s own memo on ethical conduct, any foreign donations—especially those funding overseas travel—must be reviewed and approved before the trip, and documented through a formal agreement with the Office of Partnerships and Grant Services. None of those steps were followed.
One of Bowser’s top aides, Chief of Staff Lindsey Parker, submitted a receipt showing a taxpayer-funded three-night stay at the extravagant Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai costing $3,500. Parker was one of the four staffers on the Qatar trip—further entangling the administration in what critics say appears to be an after-the-fact cover-up.
In a press conference earlier this year, investigative 7News reporter Scott Taylor pressed Bowser directly about her office’s handling of travel expenses. “Can you explain why no department in the District has a copy of your travel expenses for your trips to Miami in 2022 and Dubai in 2023, and why did you exclude them from your financial disclosure records?” he asked.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – JANUARY 20, 2020: Muriel Bowser and Bill Clinton at National Action Networks MLK Jr. Day Breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel on Monday, January 20, 2020, in Washington, DC, USA.
Bowser dodged the question entirely: “We’re talking about the inaugural today, and we’re happy to get back to you on any other questions.”
Behind the scenes, however, Bowser’s office was scrambling. Internal emails show city lawyers reaching out to the Qatari government as late as February 2025—over a year after the trip—requesting a breakdown of expenses so they could retroactively process the donation.
“Donations such as this to the District Government must be properly recorded, so we will need to execute a donation agreement between my office and yours,” wrote Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel in the Mayor’s office.
The move directly contradicts Bowser’s own ethics memorandum, which mandates that donations must be cleared and approved before any funds are accepted.
To date, the mayor’s office has failed to answer basic questions from the press, including who paid for other luxury travel, what business deals followed the Qatar visit, and whether any ethics investigation is underway.
