Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is under increased scrutiny following revelations that she and members of her staff took multiple undisclosed and internationally funded trips, including a high-cost 2023 visit to Qatar reportedly paid for by the Qatari government.
A detailed investigation by the 7News I-Team uncovered that the government of Qatar covered $61,930 in travel expenses for Mayor Bowser and four of her staffers during a trip to Doha. The trip was not properly disclosed to the public or recorded through the official channels required under District of Columbia law. The group reportedly continued their travel from Doha to Dubai, where they attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference, staying in luxury accommodations along the way.
Initially, the Mayor’s office denied that the Qatari government had paid for the travel. In a July 2024 email, Communications Director Susana Castillo stated that the D.C. Chamber of Commerce had funded Bowser’s trip to Dubai. However, that claim was contradicted when the Chamber itself refuted it. In a later phone conversation with the press, Castillo revised her statement, suggesting that the U.S. Conference of Mayors had covered the expenses. Further inquiry proved that neither claim was accurate.
Documentation obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request confirmed that the Qatari government provided the funds as an “in-kind donation,” contradicting previous statements from the Mayor’s office. According to the D.C. Code and the Mayor’s own published guidelines on ethical conduct, any foreign funding—including donations used to finance travel—must be pre-approved, formally documented, and submitted to the Office of Partnerships and Grant Services before the trip takes place. The required pre-approval process and reporting procedures were not followed in this case.
One of Bowser’s senior aides, Chief of Staff Lindsey Parker, was among the group who traveled to Qatar and later Dubai. Records show that Parker submitted a taxpayer-funded expense for a three-night stay at the Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai totaling $3,500. This accommodation expense, along with the rest of the trip, was not publicly disclosed prior to media inquiries.
EXCLUSIVE: The nation of Qatar paid $61,930 in travel expenses for @MayorBowser & 4 staff members in 2023 for a trip to the Middle East.
The Mayor’s Office said the trip was covered by DC’s Chamber of Commerce which wasn’t true and then it said it was paid by the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/ST22NIa5gz
— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylorTV) April 28, 2025
In a press conference held earlier this year, investigative journalist Scott Taylor questioned Mayor Bowser about the undisclosed trips and lack of financial transparency. He asked why there were no available departmental records for her travel to Miami in 2022 and Dubai in 2023 and why those trips were excluded from her financial disclosure statements. Bowser declined to respond directly, stating only that the focus of the press conference was on the inauguration and promising to address other questions at a later time.
Internal city emails reviewed by 7News reveal that Bowser’s office attempted to resolve the disclosure issue after the fact. Correspondence shows that city attorneys reached out to the Qatari government in February 2025—more than a year after the trip—requesting a detailed breakdown of costs so that a donation agreement could be executed retroactively. This action appears to conflict with the ethics memo issued by Bowser’s own office, which specifies that foreign donations must be reviewed and approved before any travel or expense is incurred.
🚨 JUST IN: New report reveals that DC Mayor Muriel Bowser secretly let Qatar pay for her $62,000 luxury trip to Doha and Dubai — and only tried to cover it up after getting caught.
pic.twitter.com/jGKzaxvtqe— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) May 1, 2025
As of this report, the Mayor’s office has not provided full answers to several key questions. These include who funded additional trips taken by Bowser and her staff, what agreements or business discussions may have taken place during the international visits, and whether any ethics review or formal investigation is currently being conducted.
