Newsmax reporters were ordered not to criticize Qatar after a member of its royal family invested roughly $50 million in the network during Donald Trump’s presidency, The Washington Post reported. At the time of the investment, in 2019 and 2020, a coalition that included Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had established a diplomatic and economic blockade against Qatar for its alleged support of terrorist organizations. Qatar leaned on the United States for protection and seemingly tried to wield influence through one of its most conservative news networks. Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, who made the investment, told the Post he “saw potential for the investment to be profitable” and did not act on behalf of the Qatari state. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy still reportedly instructed pundits and reporters not to criticize Qatar and reprimanded a host who did so in 2018. “We were not allowed to criticize Qatar,” one employee told the Post. “We were told very clearly from the top down, no touching this.” Ruddy and Newsmax have refuted those claims.
