Who’s paying for Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s lavish trips around the US and abroad, and why are they doing so? That is the question surrounding the chief executive of the crime-plagued, Democrat-controlled capital city after a local investigative news report unearthed her administration’s dodgy accounting for an expensive jaunt to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, on April 28 reported that “the nation of Qatar paid $61,930 for Mayor Bowser and four staff members to fly to the Middle East in 2023.” The station notes it had repeatedly asked who funded the getaway, only to be given a different answer each time.
First it was told in 2024 that the DC Chamber of Commerce had picked up the tab. The Chamber denied it. Then aides to the mayor told WJLA the US Conference of Mayors had paid the bill. That organization begged off providing any information and referred the station back to the mayor’s office.
Finally, “7News obtained [a letter] through a Freedom of Information Act request dated March of this year from the nation of Qatar to the mayor's office,” the station reported. “It shows the nation of Qatar paid more than $61,000 for Mayor Bowser's trip to Doha in 2023, which included travel expenses for four staff members. Qatar called it an ‘in-kind donation.’ The mayor and her team then jetted over to Dubai for [a climate change] convention.”
Mayor Bowser’s office was obviously determined to keep that information from the general public. What’s worse, she violated her own rules, which state that a Donation Agreement is required. The DC government “has no record” of such an agreement with Qatar, WJLA notes.
Jet-Set Lifestyle
There’s a pattern at work here, and none of it reflects well on Bowser. The mayor has allowed outside entities with major business interests in Washington to lavish money upon her for swank trips she weakly describes as part of her official duties.
In 2024, Bowser drew heat for flying to the prestigious Masters golf tournament on a private jet provided by a real estate CEO who has managed lucrative projects in the city.
“Mayor Bowser will travel to Augusta, Georgia, as part of a sports and economic development visit,” her official Public Calendar for the day blandly stated. But it wasn’t as innocent as that.
Bowser “and her Senior Advisor, Beverly Perry, were guests of Jodie McLean, chief executive officer of EDENS, a national retail and mixed-use real estate company,” Washington City Paper reported. “Its DC-area projects include Union Market, a 40-acre retail and dining space... that has benefited from the District’s tax increment financing bonds totaling more than $82.4 million, according to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.”
Once again, Bowser’s office did not come clean until forced to do so.
“The mayor’s office, when first questioned two weeks ago, had said that the city’s Events DC office had paid for Bowser and Perry’s trip. However, sources at Events DC say this week that the convention and sports authority has yet to receive any invoices for the city officials’ expenses,” The City Paper detailed.
Eventually, Bowser asserted it had been agreed upon all along that McLean would be reimbursed for the junket.
DC Cultural Footprint as Qatari Propaganda Weapon
McLean’s reasons for treating Bowser to a pricey out-of-town trek are transparent enough. Qatar’s should be as well. The Middle East nation has billions of dollars to throw around as it seeks to improve its standing abroad while burdened by a reputation as a major human rights violator.
Qatar has targeted DC as part of this mission. In 2023, the Qatar Investment Authority purchased a minority stake in Monumental Sports, owners of the NBA Washington Wizards and NHL Washington Capitals.
“An expert in such transactions said sports are part of Qatar's nation-branding and public diplomacy strategy and that this move aligns with that strategy,” the Associated Press reported at the time.
“Part of that strategy includes purchasing, sponsoring or buying equity in international sports organizations in Western markets, especially in central cities,” Dr. Yoav Dubinsky, instructor of sports business in the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon, told AP. “From a political standpoint, it means further legitimizing Qatar as a business partner in the West, including in the heart of American politics.”
Key point: Bowser’s office specifically stated this was part of the purpose of her 2023 trip to Qatar.
“She will first visit Doha, Qatar to engage with leaders on the issues of infrastructure, sports and education, as well as promote Washington, DC as a destination for investment and tourism in partnership with the DC Chamber of Commerce,” her public calendar for Nov. 25, 2023 reads.
In 2020, Bowser appointed a highly influential Qatar lobbyist to be the city’s first Chairman of Culture and Nightlife. Vinoda Basnayake “is a Beltway whisperer for Middle Eastern royalty,” a splashy 2021 Washingtonian feature article declared. “Basnayake’s biggest current client is Qatar.”
For a regime with a blood-soaked reputation, being handed the keys to DC cultural nightlife must have been a godsend.
“Repping the Qataris generally also involves more amorphous goodwill operations, aimed at casting a softer glow on the autocratic regime. And here’s where Basnayake’s night job can really come in handy,” The Washingtonian continued. “For Qatar’s annual autism-awareness gala... Basnayake helps secure A-list entertainers. Qatar also wants to be viewed as a major patron of the arts, so the state is a longstanding sponsor of the Kennedy Center. ‘I’ve definitely played a role in shepherding that relationship,’ Basnayake says, ‘and maybe even getting visibility for opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise necessarily known about.’”
It should come as no surprise that Bowser is equally comfortable with cozying up to China. In 2024, DC celebrated the 40th anniversary of its “Sister City” relationship with Beijing. “I visited Beijing on my very first trade mission as Mayor, and this week, I was proud to celebrate 35 years of our Sister City relationship,” Bowser tweeted in 2019.
During that 2015 trade mission to Beijing, Bowser rolled out the red carpet for Chinese investment interests in America’s capital city.
“It was an honor to meet with Mayor Wang Anshun as we look to grow our cities' economies and strengthen our partnership,” Bowser said in remarks posted on the DC government website. “Our delegation made it clear to Beijing that the District is open for business and now is the best time for them to invest in the nation's capital. The extension of the Sister City agreement will also build on our shared priorities – arts and culture, technology, education, and tourism.”
As the city’s beleaguered residents cope with endemic poverty and high crime rates, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has folks wondering who she really serves.
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