Qatari royal invested ~$50M in pro #Trump network #Newsmax
Before & after the investment, snr newsroom ldrs urged Newsmax staff to soften coverage of #Qatar, current & fmr employees said
A member of the Qatari royal family invested ~$50 million in Newsmax, acc/to docs & representatives for the #FarRight#media co & the royal, in a moment of acute #MiddleEast tensions during the #Trump admin.
In 2019 & 2020, Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, a fmr Qatari govt ofcl & the owner of a London-based investment fund, Heritage Advisors, invested in #Newsmax. The investment has not been previously reported.
Newsmax was looking for outside investors to better compete w/its much larger rival, #FoxNews, acc/to people who spoke at the time w/its founder & CEO, #ChristopherRuddy. Before & after the investment, snr newsroom ldrs urged staff to soften coverage of #Qatar….