Newsmax, a conservative cable news channel supported by former President Trump and his allies, got money from a Qatari royal family member while Trump was in office, as per a new report.
The Washington Post released information about this. The Washington Post stated on Tuesday that a member of the Qatari royal family put around $50 million into Newsmax in 2019 and 2020, based on documents and representatives for both the media company and the royal family.
At the time of the investment, the Post noted that a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had imposed a diplomatic and economic blockade on Qatar, claiming it had connections to terrorist organizations.
After the investment, leaders at the conservative cable news channel reportedly urged employees to soften their coverage of Qatar, according to the Post.
However, Newsmax disagreed with this description in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday.
“In 2019 Newsmax received a minority investment from a UK-based fund with a Qatari investor that also invested in a company associated with the current Washington Post publisher,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Newsmax’s coverage of Qatar has always been balanced, including publishing many online and TV reports quite critical of its activities.”
Newsmax gained some support from Trump supporters around the time of the 2020 election, but has faced criticism recently for its reporting on vaccines and the former president's unfounded claims of voter fraud, among other issues.
Following the 2020 election, Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against the company, seeking over a billion dollars in damages, with a trial set for September. setting a trial in that case for September.
