Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall is facing scrutiny for allegedly repeating talking points provided by Qatar during a March 27 congressional hearing. According to The Washington Examiner, records from the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveal that Marshall’s statements regarding Qatar’s role in hostage negotiations closely mirrored arguments presented to his office by Qatari agents on October 7, 2023.
During the hearing, Marshall pressured Dr. Charles Asher Small, Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, to acknowledge Qatar’s role in securing the release of American hostages. Dr. Small, however, accused Qatar of funding Hamas and maintaining close ties with other terrorist organizations such as the Taliban and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Instead of addressing these allegations, Marshall defended Qatar’s contributions, calling accusations against the regime “prejudice.”
The hearing also revealed past communications from Qatari agents to Marshall’s office following the release of American hostages under President Donald Trump’s administration. One such message highlighted Qatar’s involvement in the “latest ceasefire and hostage release,” reinforcing its ongoing negotiations with Hamas.
Marshall also praised Qatar’s role in the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan, citing that “of the 120,000 people evacuated, 60,000 came through Qatar.” His statements aligned with talking points distributed by Qatar’s embassy, which claimed the country had facilitated safe passage for over 75,000 Afghan refugees, including students and professionals.
Further defending Qatar, Marshall stated that the regime had contributed approximately $5 billion to American educational institutions, including establishing campuses for Texas A&M and Cornell University in Doha. However, both universities have faced criticism for allegedly allowing Qatar to influence their research and campus environments. Cornell has come under fire for fostering anti-Israel sentiment, with one professor calling Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks “exhilarating” and “energizing.”
Despite mounting concerns over Qatar’s ties to terrorist organizations, Marshall maintained that the Gulf state is a “great ally to America.” His office has not responded to requests for comment on the allegations that his statements closely resembled Qatari government messaging.
