Judicial Watch Sues Department of Education Over Qatar’s Influence in U.S. Universities
Qatar's Foreign Influence in U.S. Universities is Further Unveiled
In a legal move aimed at uncovering foreign influence in American academia, Judicial Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of the Zachor Legal Institute against the U.S. Department of Education (DoE). The lawsuit, filed on January 14, 2025, seeks records on Qatar’s financial involvement with five major U.S. universities: Georgetown, Northwestern, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Michigan (Zachor Legal Institute v. U.S. Department of Education, No. 1:25-cv-00093). This follows years of concerns over foreign funding shaping academic and political discourse on American campuses.
The FOIA request, originally submitted on March 20, 2024, sought information on Qatar’s funding and operations related to the universities, particularly focusing on Georgetown’s Doha campus, the Georgetown Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and Qatar’s ties with Harvard and the University of Michigan. The Department of Education’s failure to respond prompted the lawsuit.
A History of Qatar’s Concealed Foreign Influence
Judicial Watch’s previous legal battles have revealed troubling levels of foreign funding in U.S. institutions. A similar lawsuit uncovered nearly half a billion dollars in Qatari funding for Texas A&M University, leading to the closure of its Qatar campus in 2024. Since 2007, Qatar has funneled an estimated $6 billion into American universities, a financial arrangement that has allegedly led to an outsized influence on campus policies, including mainstreaming anti-Israel rhetoric and suppressing dissent on Qatar’s links to groups like Hamas and the Iranian regime.
The Anti-Transparency Problem: Missing Billions in Foreign Funding
The FOIA lawsuit coincides with recent alarming findings from The Anti-Transparency Portal, an intelligence report released by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI). The report exposes a troubling lack of transparency in foreign funding disclosures, particularly regarding financial contributions from Qatar. According to the report, more than $1.2 billion in Qatari funding that had previously been documented in the Department of Education’s Section 117 reports has mysteriously disappeared. Georgetown University and Northwestern University alone had reported receiving a combined $1.47 billion from Qatar, yet these figures are now absent from the most recent disclosures.
Further complicating the issue, since September 2020, approximately $19 billion in overall foreign funding to institutions of higher education has been recorded without key details, including donor names, dates of receipt, or specific funding purposes—creating significant barriers to transparency and accountability.
Additionally, over 52,000 donor names and 4,100 recorded receipt dates have been removed from the Department of Education’s records without explanation. The NCRI report also found that at least $7 billion in foreign funding had gone unreported or was significantly delayed, much of which was only disclosed after the Department of Justice launched investigations into compliance failures.
A Growing Foreign Influence Crisis in U.S. Academia
The NCRI analysis found a 55% increase in foreign contributions to U.S. universities between 2020 and 2023 compared to 2014-2019, with notable surges in funding from China, the Gulf states, and other authoritarian regimes. These funds have been linked to rising antisemitic and anti-democratic trends on university campuses.
Adding to concerns, a March 2024 report detailed Qatar’s growing corruption scandal in Europe—nicknamed “Qatargate”—where over $4.3 million in bribes were allegedly paid to European Union officials to sway policy in favor of the Gulf state. The growing evidence suggests similar tactics may be in play within American academia.
Shining a Light on Academic Shadow Deals
Marc Greendorfer, president of the Zachor Legal Institute, emphasized the urgent need for transparency, stating, “The previous administration obstructed efforts to uncover foreign influence in our universities. We are optimistic that under new leadership and with Judicial Watch’s expertise, we will finally bring this information to light.” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton added, “The Biden administration was intent on hiding the truth about Qatar’s financial manipulations. This lawsuit is a crucial step in exposing foreign interference in American higher education.
With billions of dollars at stake and increasing evidence of compromised academic integrity, the spotlight on Qatar’s role in shaping U.S. higher education is unlikely to fade anytime soon.