D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is pushing back against a news article that reported she is under federal investigation for a foreign trip she took in 2023.
The mayor denied the allegations Friday while answering questions from reporters at an event launching the city’s hypothermia efforts for the winter.
“I am not under investigation,” she told reporters. “I have not been contacted by any federal officials about investigating me.”
The Office of U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro confirmed to WTOP in a statement that the mayor is “not under investigation, nor is she the target of any investigation.”
Conflicting reports emerged Thursday over whether Bowser was under federal investigation for the 2023 foreign trip she took to participate in a United Nations climate change conference.
WTOP’s partner 7News reported in April of this year that Qatar paid over $61,000 to bring the mayor and her staff to the country’s capital, Doha, before the conference in Dubai.
Alarms were set off after the New York Times reported federal prosecutors were investigating Bowser for potential bribery or campaign finance violations, and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. had been leading the probe for months.
However, within hours, reports began trickling in that Bowser was not, in fact, under federal investigation.
One unidentified senior official within President Donald Trump’s administration told Axios that Bowser’s “name was mentioned in something, but she is not the target nor being investigated.”
That same individual further detailed that allegations of a federal investigation were aired by a “disgruntled fired FBI agent,” Axios reported.
Bowser said she has not received a target letter or anything that would indicate she is under investigation.
“We haven’t been contacted at all,” Bowser said Friday.
When asked if she’s received a subpoena, Bowser told reporters, “No.”
Questions over Qatar trip
7News filed a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, request in April and reported the District had no records of the expense breakdown for the trip to Qatar nor for several other trips the mayor has taken in the last three years.
Any public D.C. official is obligated by general ethics standards to not accept gifts for personal use from outside sources, including services like transportation or lodging, or “prohibited sources” exceeding $100, D.C. government documents state.
A source familiar with the matter told WTOP that a staff error at the mayor’s office led to an issue with setting up a standard donation agreement with Qatar, detailing its donation toward travel expenses.
The donation was later included in a July report showing the Middle Eastern country paid for their roundtrip airfare from D.C. to Doha, two nights’ stays at a hotel and lunch and dinner for those two days.
In a letter shared to WTOP from the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the executive office of the mayor, the donation was given “without any expectation of special treatment … or the receipt of anything in return.”
The mayor’s office released a statement in response to the New York Times’ report:
“This was a business trip; DC representatives regularly travel to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth. This regular work has helped bring investment, infrastructure, new business, new grocery stores, growth, and jobs to the District. In some cases, economic development funds are used for the business travel; in other cases, the host or organizer cover the expenses. All proper paperwork for this standard donation is on file.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors also made an in-kind donation to the mayor and her staff totaling $43,658 for the trip to Dubai.
Back in June, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a D.C.-based nonprofit that acts as a watchdog for public officials, filed an ethics complaint against the mayor, calling for an investigation to determine if she accepted illegal gifts and trips.
In FACT’s complaint filed with the city’s Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, the nonprofit alleged the mayor accepted trips to Dubai, Qatar, Las Vegas, Miami, Mar-a-Lago and the Masters Golf tournament in Georgia.
“The Mayor’s unwillingness to provide basic information about numerous high-profile trips is unacceptable,” Kendra Arnold, FACT’s executive director, wrote in a statement. “The ethics rules exist to protect against corruption and when they are ignored, the public’s trust erodes.”
The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability has not confirmed whether it has launched an investigation or taken any action in response to the complaint. WTOP has reached out to FACT and BEGA for comment.
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