Some trips by congressional officials were paid for by Qatar, which is allowed by certain rules, a US official said.
Mr. Menendez’s visit was funded by the US government and supported by the State Department, as was a separate trip by Mr. Murphy and Mr. Young during which they met with Qatari officials and spoke with Mr. Blinken in the stadium during the US-Wales Match.
Mr Adams, who watched the United States play the Netherlands, told reporters he had paid for his own accommodation – “It’s on me.” Mr Adams’ schedule did not indicate who he was meeting with, but he posted a photo of him with US team coach Gregg Berhalter and told a telephone briefing from Doha that he was visiting in part to examine the public transit system and explore how New York could help host the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The new United States Ambassador to Qatar, Timmy T. Davis, attended many matches and posted a steady stream of social media posts about the tournament, including a video of him and the Netherlands Ambassador. Bas cooking breakfast together before their teams face off.
Ahead of the World Cup, Mr Davis spoke to Bella Hadid, an American model, at a cultural event in Doha. Ms Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, visited an exhibition of Palestinian embroidery and said on Instagram: “This exhibition brought tears to my eyes. Qatar is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, and Arab football fans and the Moroccan team displayed the Palestinian flag in streets and stadiums.
Mr Davis said in an interview that Qatar had “prepared for the opportunity to tell its story”, that is to say the narrative of the kingdom, and “had invited people specifically and generally so that they can come and see Qatar”. I have no doubt that a lot of business has been done.
Davis noted that Americans were the second largest group of ticket buyers and that attendees came from the fields of entertainment, development, humanitarian aid, technology and energy.
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