Lobbying 2016: Qatar spends big to counter charges of lax stance on terror

Julian Pecquet

Aug 28, 2016

The car carrying Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tameem bin Hamad Al Thani arrives on the South Lawn as U.S. President Barack Obama plays host to leaders and delegations from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at the White House in Washington May 13, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX1CV83 — The car carrying Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives on the South Lawn as US President Barack Obama plays host to leaders and delegations from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at the White House in Washington May 13, 2015. — REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Qatar has quadrupled its spending on US influence-peddlers to help reverse an onslaught of bad publicity over the country's alleged role in supporting radical Islamists across the Middle East.

The Gulf emirate expanded its stable of lobbying and public relations firms from two to five in 2015 and paid them a combined $3.34 million, according to a review of financial disclosures. That’s up from $764,000 the year before.