GOP Operatives Admit to Deceiving DOJ Over Qatar Lobbying

Bennett and Watts entered into deferred prosecution agreements, charges to be dismissed after a year of compliance.

Two Republican political consultants, Barry Bennett and Doug Watts, admitted to deceiving the Justice Department about their lobbying activities on behalf of Qatar.
Bennett and Watts acknowledged they accepted funds from the Qatari government in exchange for promoting efforts to influence U.S. policy in the Middle East.
The charges against the two consultants were publicly disclosed in court documents in Washington just minutes before federal prosecutors in New York unveiled a new indictment against Menendez (D-N.J.) that charged him with aiding the Qatari government in exchange for bribes.
Bennett and Watts have entered into “deferred prosecution” agreements that will allow the charges to be dismissed after a year if the men comply with the terms of the deals.
Bennett and Watts set up an organization called “Yemen Crisis Watch” at Qatar’s behest to call attention to allegations of the Saudi Arabian government’s brutality in a military conflict with the Houthi militant group in Yemen.