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First on FOX: The government’s non-partisan government watchdog filed an ethical complaint against Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday morning.
The Foundation’s Accountability and Citizen Trust (Facts) complaint requires the Ethics and Government Accountability Committee to investigate Bowser, who allegedly accepted illegal travel and hospitality gifts on high profile trips to Doha, Qatar for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
“The basic standard for elected officials is honest transparency. This means following all disclosure laws and willingly answer public questions. The mayor’s unwillingness to provide basic information about many well-known travel is unacceptable.”
The facts cited WJLA’s investigation into missing records from Bowser’s prominent trips, which found that Qatar’s paid Bowser and four staff members paid $61,930 to fly to the Middle East in 2023.
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Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser will speak at a press conference outside the US Capitol on March 10, 2024 (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“It’s not just a trip to Qatar, it’s a troublesome pattern from Marlago to Doha to Augusta National. The district doesn’t record who paid for these trips or what public purposes served,” Arnold said. “Ethical rules exist to protect against corruption, and when they are ignored, public trust is eroded. I urge the board to investigate and enforce the law without delay.”
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The Middle East trip should have been disclosed to be accepted as a legal donation to the District of Columbia, but the facts said in the complaint there is no record of who paid for the trip.
“When questioned by the press, the mayor’s office initially stated that the trip was paid by the DC Chamber of Commerce, which the Chamber of Commerce said was not true. The mayor’s office then said that the trip was paid by the US mayoral meeting.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser will speak at a press conference at Capitol Hill, Washington on Monday, March 10th, 2025 (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Then, in February 2025, the mayor’s office called for a collapse in travel costs, labeling it as a “in-kind donation,” and sought a “retrospective donation agreement” despite two years had passed.
“However, the incredible thing that this information was revealed publicly was that Qatar was trying to retrospectively explain the mayor’s office as a “kind donation” until March 2025, when a reporter’s request for the Freedom of Information Act. As of May 2025, the district still has no record of Qatar paying for Bowser’s 2023 trip,” the complaint said.
Again, citing the WJLA investigation report, he said the District of Columbia has no cost records for several more trips, including the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and trips to Las Vegas, Miami and Mar Arago.
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The facts were accused of violating “basic ethical principles” that prevent corruption and prevent elected officials from accepting bribery and donations.
Washington, D.C. law does not allow government officials to accept certain gifts such as travel, accommodation, transportation, etc. The law allows donations to the district itself if the agency “uses gifts or donations to perform an approved function or obligation.”
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In that case, detailed and accurate records must be available for “audit and public inspection.” Donations to these districts must be “recorded and approved before the donation is used.”
“Clearly Qatar mayor’s trip to Qatar qualifies as a gift and elected officials are prohibited from accepting them personally. Furthermore, this gift is not qualified as a donation made to the district as the donation was recorded and not approved before the donation was used.
Deirdre Heavey is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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