Qatar funds terrorism, controls the narrative
Also, new Biden whistleblowers
Editorial Team
October 27, 2023
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Today we’re covering:
🪖 How Qatar funds terrorism,
🕵️ The DOJ covered up Biden scandals,
🇵🇸 Why Arabic countries support Palestine 🔒,
And everything else you need to know.
☕️ Welcome back. I’m Ari, and this is Upward News. Every day, our team scours 100s of sources to bring you need-to-know news and insights you won’t find in the MSM—all in 5 minutes. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up here.
WASHINGTON
DOJ obstructed bribery investigations into Biden, whistleblowers say
What’s happening: The Department of Justice stopped employees from investigating President Joe Biden for bribery in 2020, falsely labeling evidence as foreign disinformation to protect his bid for reelection, according to reporting from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and recent House testimony.
Catch up: The FBI interviewed an informant in 2020 who alleged that Biden, as vice president, accepted a bribe from a Ukrainian executive at his son Hunter’s company.
Lying: Around a month after the interview, FBI agents circulated a story that the intelligence report stemmed from Russian disinformation, according to Sen. Grassley, who cited “information, records, and … Justice Department whistleblowers.”
Note: The lie was allegedly promoted by the Foreign Influence Task Force — the same FBI unit that encouraged online platforms to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story while knowing it was real.
Obstructing: Former prosecutor Scott Brady testified that he could not investigate Biden’s Ukraine ties efficiently because of the DOJ’s unusual “reluctance.” Officials added hurdles by failing to communicate and requiring approval for too many tasks, Brady said. The attorney acknowledged that the scandal was “sensitive” for the DOJ because Biden was running for reelection.
Why it matters: The FBI had a total of 40 informants who “provided criminal information relating to Joe Biden, James Biden, and Hunter Biden,” Grassley’s office found. Brady said his team thought the bribery claims alone warranted a grand jury investigation of the now-president.
Going forward: Biden’s ties to foreign countries are now the focus of a House impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Grassley is demanding documents from the DOJ to potentially expose corrupt employees.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
🇺🇲 Hundreds of US troops deployed to Middle East. The Pentagon revealed that 900 troops are being sent, or have already been sent, to the Middle East in response to attacks on U.S. bases by Iranian-backed forces. The Pentagon clarified that they will not be sent to Israel. The U.S. is also preparing for a potential regional conflict by relocating missile defense systems and has already conducted air strikes in Syria. (CNN)
✌🏻 Biden pushes “two-state solution” in Israel. The president wants to restart diplomacy toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. This represents a major pivot for Biden, signaling more involvement in the conflict. Most of Gaza’s population and Israel’s top officials oppose the idea. (Axios)
🪖 Israeli armor enters Gaza. Israeli tanks and infantry entered the Gaza Strip “to prepare the battlefield" for an upcoming invasion yesterday, Israel said. This comes as Israeli defense officials are in discussions with the U.S. regarding the next steps. New reports also indicate a surge of weapons into the West Bank, increasing concerns about the possibility of a two-front conflict. (CNBC, Wall Street Journal)
🗿 Confederate statue quietly taken down. Charlotte’s black history museum discreetly melted down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, in a secret location. Its pieces will be repurposed into a new piece of public art. The statue was the focal point of the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in 2017, during which a man drove a car into a crowd of protesters, killing one and injuring dozens. (Washington Post)
WHAT WE’RE HEARING
Special interests in Washington are worried about the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R-LA), due to his lack of ties to lobbyists. (Politico)
Doubts are emerging about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can match former speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) fundraising ability and protect the GOP’s majority at election time. (Politico)
Jewish leaders in Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) district wrote a letter to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, encouraging him to challenge Rep. Bowman in a primary race over his anti-Israel stance. (Scarsdale Inquirer)
GEOPOLITICS
Qatar funds terrorism, controls the narrative
What’s happening: Qatar hasn’t received a lot of the attention surrounding Hamas's recent violence against Israelis. But while the oil-rich emirate is incredibly small, it is also very wealthy — and it uses that money to support terrorists and propagandize the Middle East and the world.
Funding terror: Qatar has supported Hamas with monthly stipends equivalent to about $30 million for the past five years. Plus, the emirate houses Hamas’s leadership: Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza’s de facto leader and the leader of Hamas, has lived there for some time.
Funding information warfare: One way that Qatar punches above its weight is via Al Jazeera. The state-sponsored network is one of the most-watched in the world for its Middle East coverage. It refers to Hamas terrorists as mere “fighters” and parrots Palestinian propaganda, most recently the debunked claim that Israel bombed a hospital.
It’s powerful: Middle Eastern states have blamed Al Jazeera for generating sympathy for insurgent movements in their regions. Some states cut ties with Qatar and blockaded it, and the shutdown of Al Jazeera was one of their chief demands for restoring relations.
Funding in America: Qatar also heavily lobbies in Washington, more than any Arab country, which has helped it avoid scrutiny amid the recent Israel-Hamas war, despite being a large sponsor of Hamas. It also heavily funds American universities, where students and academics have drawn scrutiny for failing to condemn Hamas terrorism.
The bottom line: Qatar has found itself in a powerful position, funding terrorism, controlling the narrative through its global propaganda project Al Jazeera, and shaping America’s response through lobbying.
Why Arab countries back Palestinians
The Arab world opposed the idea of a Jewish state even before there was a Jewish state.
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POLL
Should Washington be harder on Qatar?Poll results will be in Monday's newsletter. |
POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY
Do Palestine supporters in the West understand what they support?
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👍 Yes (140)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👎 No (500)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (71)
👍 Yes: “They understand they are supporting extremist genocidal terrorists, but they hate America and its founding principles so much that any means to tear it down and rebuild are justified.” — Phillip
👎 No: ”I think for the most part it’s just a bunch of virtue signaling.” — Anonymous
🤔 Unsure: “Too many westerners are merely sheep and will believe whatever they hear most.” — Anonymous
IN THE LOOP
The Biden administration continues to deny presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secret Service protection — even after a home intruder tried to break into his home twice. (RFK campaign)
The New York Police Department said “Jews should definitely avoid the area” of Eastern Parkway ahead of a scheduled pro-Palestinian protest. (Breitbart)
Jewish students at Cooper Union in Manhattan were locked in a library to ensure their safety during pro-Palestinian protests. (Fox 5 New York)