Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Cotton, along with seven of his colleagues in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sought information on any steps taken by the Justice Department to determine whether Qatari-owned media company Al Jazeera should be registered as a foreign agent. In a letter to DOJ, the lawmakers note examples of Al Jazeera’s activities that align closely with the priorities of the Qatari government. The letter also notes that other foreign state-owned media organizations with similar profiles and reach into the United States have recently been required to register as foreign agents. The letter is cosigned by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Todd Young (R-Indiana), Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Representatives Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Lee Zeldin (R-New York).

“Qatar’s officials have said that government-controlled media is a form of ‘soft power.’ As such, one can reasonably infer that Al Jazeera is a messaging tool for the Qatari government, and, on its behalf, has engaged in inherently political activities and sought to influence public opinion in the United States,” the lawmakers wrote.      MORE