Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal

In a 2019 affidavit for a Florida federal court case involving Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al Thani, Canadian businessman Alan Bender testified that Qatari officials claimed to have recruited Representative Ilhan Omar as a “jewel in the crown” asset years before her election.

Bender alleged that Qatar funded her rise and that she relayed sensitive U.S. information to Qatar and Iran.

The affidavit surfaced during the 2017 Qatar-Saudi diplomatic crisis and was first reported by Saudi-owned Al Arabiya.

Figures like Mohamad Tawhidi (“Imam of Peace”) promoted the story heavily. The affidavit claimed Omar wanted Qatar to target him and they said they would send their journalist assets to do it. From my blog notes in 2019:

“Allegedly Omar requested that @Imamofpeace be ‘silenced,’ but they have no plan to do what this implies. Allegedly Qatar is telling Omar to just ignore Tawhidi and leave it to them. ‘We will send the New York Times or the Washington Post to do so,’ meaning smear who they like, as Tawhidi was smeared by the Post. (Remember all this is alleged; I am reporting on a deposition not attesting to it.)”

More recently, activist Laura Loomer has alleged that Qatar pays journalists and influencers to discredit critics by labeling them as foreign spies in retaliation for highlighting Qatari ties to groups like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“I have been informed by a very credible source inside the government that Qatar is so threatened by my platform they are reportedly offering to pay journalists to write stories about me falsely accusing me of being a spy for Israel.”

Loomer has also accused media figures like Tucker Carlson of downplaying Qatari influence due to alleged sponsorships.

Note: There is a connection to Hillary Clinton which suggests investigators could look into CIA-Qatar-Iran double-dealing.

Axis of Ilhan

Photo caption:

1. Top – Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar
2. Lower left – Laura Loomer, investigative journalist and political operative
3. Lower right – Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, a.k.a. Imam of Peace, an Australian-Iranian Shia Muslim cleric and advocate for Islamic reform

Sources:

1. Bender affidavit –
   https://www.docdroid.net/DtiLYBH/bender-affidavit-pdf
2. Imam Tawhidi response (he deleted his tweets) https://sonsoflibertymedia.com/court-documents-ilhan-omar-accused-of-being-paid-qatari-agent-accessing-sensitive-information-on-iran-video/
3. My first blog post on the Bender affidavit
   https://2019diarydannielleblumenthal.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/reading-the-alan-bender-deposition-part-i/
4. https://x.com/lauraloomer/status/2001527870624002190?s=46

Disclaimers:

1. Bender presented his claims as hearsay based on conversations with Qatari officials, without providing direct evidence.
2. While Qatar engages in extensive, documented U.S. lobbying and public diplomacy—including funding think tanks and sponsoring trips for politicians—the specific allegations of espionage via Rep. Omar, bribing journalists for smears, or coordinated targeting of critics remain unsubstantiated.
3. No official U.S. investigations or charges have corroborated these claims.
4. Rep. Omar has denied the allegations.

Written with the help of Grok AI. Photo collage compiled with help of Grok AI.