Back in April, it was reported that Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and several staffers were taking a trip to Dubai in 2023 that cost nearly $62,000. The mayor said the D.C. Chamber of Commerce paid for it and then, at another point, the U.S. Conference of Mayors paid for it.
Except an investigation by ABC affiliate WJLA 7 found that none of the claims were true. reported at that time. In fact, the trip was paid for by Qatar. Bowser then blamed an alleged paperwork error allegedly made by an employee:
EXCLUSIVE: Qatar paid $61,930 in travel expenses @MayorBowser and 4 employees in 2023 for a trip to the Middle East.
The mayor's office said the trip was sponsored by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, which is not true, and then said the trip was paid for by the United States Conference of Mayors, which is also not true.
After my investigation revealed the truth, Bowser is now asking Qatar to provide her with travel receipts because she never filed them with the county.
I also learned that two years after the trip, her office is asking Qatar to sign a donation agreement. Something that, according to the mayor's memo, should have been done before she left on her trip.
A month later she was hit ethics complaint from the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), which asked that “Bowser is being investigated by the Ethics and Government Accountability Council for allegedly accepting illegal travel expenses and hospitality gifts during high-profile trips” not only to Dubai, but also “to Doha, Qatar, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Las Vegas, Miami and Mar-a-Lago.”
The New York Times updated this story reports that Bowser is now under investigation by the Department of Justice:
Federal prosecutors have launched a corruption investigation into Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, looking into an overseas trip she took with members of her staff that was paid for by Qatar, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, has been ongoing for months but could face significant obstacles due to the known facts of the case and recent turmoil within the Justice Department.
This week, the FBI agent leading the investigation was fired by the Trump administration for his role in the criminal investigation into President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
However, this report is disputed by an unnamed Trump administration official, who allegedly told Axios that Bowser not under investigation:
“The mayor's name has been mentioned somewhere, but she is not the target of the investigation and is not being investigated,” a senior administration official told Axios.
- The official blamed the rumors about the investigation on a disgruntled fired FBI agent.
- Bowser's office said it was not notified of the investigation.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to RedState for updates.
Editor's note: The Schumer shutdown is here. Instead of putting the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the Radical Democrats forced the government to shut down health care to illegal immigrants. They own it.
Help us continue to report the truth about Schumer's closure. Use promo code POTUS47 and get 74% off your VIP membership.
