WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is reviewing a trip that Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser taken to Qatar, but the mayor is not the target of the investigation, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday.
The investigation into Bowser's 2023 trip with employees is centered on a lobbyist with ties to the Democratic mayor, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation.
The New York Times reported Thursday that federal prosecutors in Washington have opened a corruption investigation into Bowser and are investigating potential violations of bribery or campaign finance laws related to the trip.
But Washington's top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, said in a statement Friday that the mayor “is not under investigation or the subject of any investigation.” A spokesman for Pirro declined to comment further.
Asked about the investigation at a news conference on Friday, Bowser said she had not been contacted by any federal officials and had not received a subpoena or target letter.
“I've checked with our lawyers and we have a regular chain of who's talking to who and we haven't been contacted, we're not connected to me or anyone else as far as I know,” Bowser said.
The trip in question included a stop in Doha, where the mayor met with international leaders on infrastructure, sports and education. She also promoted Washington as a destination for investment and tourism. Qatar donated $60,000 to cover the travel expenses of the mayor and her party members.
Bowser told reporters Friday that it was a “business trip, a publicly marked trip to promote Washington in Qatar.”
“This is what we did and we are not shy about talking about it,” she said. The mayor noted that the trip helped the city retain two professional sports teams downtown.
The review of the trip comes as the mayor decides whether to seek a fourth term.
It also comes at a critical time as the city responds to a government shutdown that has impacted businesses and the federal workforce, as well as ongoing National Guard deployment troops on the street at least until February 2026.
