Qatar has a history of buying influence in the US

Doha’s decades-long history of buying influence in the U.S. is resurfacing amidst reports that President Donald Trump will accept a gifted luxury Boeing jet by the Qatari government.

Qatar has long been accused of flaunting its vast wealth, derived largely from oil extraction, to curry favor on Capitol Hill and in the Ivy League. Business dealings with the oil-rich nation were what brought down Bob Menendez, then-chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, who accepted, as bribes, opulent offerings ranging from Formula One tickets to gold bars in exchange for advancing Qatari interests.