While much is being made of the Biden Department of Justice’s (DOJ) indictment of two Russian nationals for allegedly enlisting a U.S. company and social media influencers to push pro-Russia propaganda on YouTube, corporate media has remained silent on far more complex and concerning foreign influence operations. The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, revealed five years ago in a video for Prager University that one of the most far-reaching foreign influence schemes has operated openly as a social media endeavor in the U.S. and continues to do so.
Owned by the Al Jazeera news network, AJ+ is funded by the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. Despite its deep foreign connections, the organization has received minimal scrutiny from the DOJ. However, multiple Members of Congress— including former Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY)—have raised the issue over the years.
TERRORIST TIES.
“AJ+ is bankrolled by the government of Qatar,” Kassam explains, continuing: “[Qatar] is a tiny Persian Gulf state with lots of oil money, billions of dollars they’re not afraid to spend causes they believe in. Causes like the terror group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.”
Kassam goes on to note that aside from Hamas, Qatar also funds the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, and Hezbollah. The Persian Gulf state promotes the interests of its terror clients through its funding of the Arab news network Al Jazeera. The network rolled out AJ+ following its failed 2013 attempt to launch a U.S. news network after purchasing a media company from former Vice President Al Gore.
FOREIGN INFLUENCE.
Under the AJ+ banner, Al Jazeera and Qatar target American youth, pushing far-left messaging in an effort to sow division and influence U.S. politics and elections. “The young and hip presenters at AJ+ depict America as racist through-and-through, past-and-present,” Kassas states, adding: “Black Lives Matter has no greater media ally than AJ+. Nor do avowed socialists, like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”
While Qatar has primarily operated its foreign influence scheme through AJ+, the Persian Gulf state has also used other intermediaries, including former MSNBC host Mehdi Hassan, who now works for Al Jazeera. Additionally, Qatar has reportedly made a large investment in Newsmax through a member of its royal family.
The National Pulse reported in April this year that Joe Biden‘s brother, Jim Biden, also has concerning ties to Qatar—partnering with business interests controlled by the Persian Gulf state.