Qatar-Controlled AJ+ Appears to have Interfered in US Presidential Election

The outlet spread divisive narratives in Democratic strongholds like Dearborn to undermine Kamala Harris, while effectively promoting third-party candidates and the "Uncommitted Movement"

Jan 06, 2025

Apparent Qatari Election Interference Via AJ+

A new Jewish Onliner analysis reveals that Qatar-controlled media outlet AJ+, based in the United States, appears to have executed a targeted campaign to influence the 2024 US presidential election.

The network, which is a subsidiary of the Qatari government-controlled Al Jazeera Media Network, pushed divisive narratives aimed at progressive voters, including Democratic strongholds like Dearborn, Michigan, to steer them away from Democratic candidates Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Instead, AJ+ gave significant airtime to third-party candidates and the “Uncommitted Movement”––thereby discouraging would-be democrat voters––raising critical questions about its compliance with US laws on interference in democratic processes.

The primary message promoted by AJ+ in this effort were conveyed through videos that frequently criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, portraying them as untrustworthy or complicit in the “genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza—an allegation that has been thoroughly-debunked.

This strategy of discouraging citizens from voting from either of the mainstream American political parties was utilized by Russia to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, as noted by a 2020 analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice. Russian-backed election interference plots of an analogous style were also reported in 2018. The following analysis will demonstrate that Qatar, through AJ+, is apparently emulating this strategy.

The concerns over AJ+’s election interference are amplified by two additional factors:

In 2020, the Department of Justice mandated AJ+ to register as a foreign agent of Qatar under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Despite this mandate, AJ+ has yet to comply, putting the outlet in violation of US law.
According to a recently-published report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and social media analytics firm Cyabra, there appears to have been a coordinated effort to boost AJ+’s reach on social media using fake accounts, specifically on X (formerly Twitter).

To protect the American public from foreign influence campaigns and preserve the integrity of the political process, the US government and the incoming Trump administration must prioritize investigating potential Qatari election interference and addressing this threat with urgency.

The following sections analyze Qatar and AJ+'s strategy in detail. They include examples of apparent election interference, highlight their focus on Democratic strongholds, examine their use of bots to amplify reach (a violation of social media platforms’ terms of service), and explore the legal implications of these actions.

AJ+ Strategy Across Platforms

AJ+, a digital media platform under Qatar’s Al Jazeera Media Network, utilizes its significant following on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X to disseminate election-related content to over 15 million followers. These platforms enable AJ+ to reach younger, digitally savvy audiences with tailored messaging emphasizing dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party. A sample of AJ+ posts and videos across social media platforms can be found in Appendix A at the bottom of this page.

The Zachor Legal Institute performed a content analysis on the material AJ+ publishes. It found that AJ+ “appears to function in a manner resembling a propaganda outlet by promoting anti-American, anti-West, anti- Israel, divisive, and polarizing content designed to intensify divisions within the US.”

One-third of AJ+’s content could be characterized as “anti-American.” Source: Zachor Legal Institute

Zachor also writes that “Over the past decade, Al Jazeera has carried out a unique two-track approach: 1) using its legacy TV networks, Al Jazeera International and Al Jazeera English, to promote and/or whitewash the Muslim Brotherhood and an array of Islamic terrorist groups, such as Nusra Front (formerly known as al Qaeda of Syria), the Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah; and 2) using its online/social media subsidiary, AJ+, to aggressively court young, progressive Americans by criticizing both US foreign and domestic policies from the Left.”

Activity During the 2024 Presidential Election

During this election cycle, AJ+ appears to have adopted the narrative that the Democratic Party was not progressive enough and sought to push democratic constituencies to the fringes of the political left. Across all platforms, recurring themes of disillusionment with Democratic leadership and calls to vote against the Democratic Party establishment were amplified.

Some AJ+ videos included commentary from Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a Washington-based, pro-Tehran advocacy and lobbying organization linked to the Iranian government.

Trita Parsi in a video for AJ+. Source: AJ+ on X

On TikTok, the platform’s algorithm and youth-centric appeal allowed AJ+ to share short, emotionally impactful videos. For example, a video titled “Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists gathered at a rally” garnered over 221,000 views. One video, which discussed third-party presidential candidate Jill Stein, had over 850,000 views. The video contained quotes such as “Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan are ready to abandon the Democratic Party…. I'm a registered Democrat, but I am voting for Jill Stein.”

Instagram became a space for AJ+ to craft compelling narratives through concise messaging and engaging visuals. Posts like “It's Bisan from Gaza and Will the US Election Bring Relief or More Suffering?,” which aimed to demoralize potential voters and push them away from voting, amassed 165,000 views.

YouTube offered a venue for longer-form content, enabling AJ+ to explore themes of Democratic betrayal and systemic dissatisfaction in greater depth. Videos like “Why Chicago’s Little Palestine Isn’t Voting For Biden” (131,000 views) and “Is Kamala Harris Turning Her Back On The Arab Community?” (95,000 views) tapped into racial and cultural grievances in the Arab-American community.

Targeting Democratic Strongholds

Dearborn, Michigan—a city with a significant Arab-American population and a Democratic voting history—became a focal point of AJ+’s strategy, where its content specifically addressed the community’s grievances concerning Israel and Gaza. For example, on X, AJ+ posted at least eleven videos about Michigan voters’ dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party—eight of which were posted between October 17, 2024, and November 03, 2024, mere days before the election.

AJ+ consistently amplified alienated Dearborn voters. Source: AJ+ on X

In the election’s aftermath, Dearborn saw a significant decline in votes for the Democrat nominee. Kamala Harris lost the city to Donald Trump by more than 2,500 votes, whereas Joe Biden beat Trump by more than 17,000 votes in 2020—a more than 20,000-vote swing that helped Trump reclaim the state of Michigan. These voters, many of whom traditionally supported Democrats, may well have been influenced by the anti-Democrat narratives pushed by AJ+.

Influencing US Elections with Social Media Bots?

AJ+’s activity on X is of particular concern in light of a December 2024 report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and social media analytics firm Cyabra, whose two-month investigation revealed coordinated inauthentic activity amplifying AJ+’s content. CAM and Cyabra found that 32% of profiles engaging with AJ+ on X were fake, boosting visibility and spreading anti-Israel propaganda aligned with AJ+ content.

In a press release accompanying the report, CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said that “The purpose of AJ+ has always been to divide publics, promote anti-western narratives, ferment division, and brutally attack the one Jewish state in a wholly antisemitic fashion. As part of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network, it is part of a terrorist supporting network masquerading as media. However, this report finally unmasks their strategy of deceit and their web of lies, artificially creating an echo chamber for their slander and lies.”

This raises the distinct possibility that not only was AJ+ working to subvert the democratic process, but that it was doing so using bots and fake accounts on social media, in violation of the platforms’ terms of service.

Legal and Ethical Questions Surrounding AJ+

AJ+’s apparent election interference adds to the significant scrutiny already surrounding AJ+ in the United States. As mentioned, Qatar has yet to abide by the DOJ’s mandate that it register under FARA, in direct contravention to American law.

DOJ’s FARA letter to AJ+ in 2020. Source: Empower Oversight

Furthermore, for years, Al Jazeera, the parent organization of AJ+, has faced significant backlash for alleged ties to terrorist groups and for promoting terrorist propaganda.

The fact that AJ+ has avoided registering as a foreign agent despite repeated calls to do so by the US government is deeply concerning. When combined with Al Jazeera’s history of alleged terror ties, it paints a troubling picture of foreign interference in the American political process.

Conclusion

The allegations against AJ+ highlight the broader concerns of foreign influence in US elections. By emphasizing messages such as “Biden betrayed us” and “Killer Kamala,” AJ+ sowed discord among key Democratic voter blocs. While the network refrained from outright endorsing any particular candidate, its content discouraged voters and pushed them toward third-party options, a strategy previously see in Russian election interference plots.

AJ+ might attempt to dismiss these allegations by claiming they were merely "covering the news" or "reporting the story, not shaping it." However, such justifications collapse under closer examination. When a media outlet consistently and systematically amplifies one specific narrative, it moves beyond reporting to actively shaping public perception. By selectively curating and framing content to favor one perspective, AJ+ isn't just documenting events—it’s deliberately creating a narrative, effectively turning its editorial choices into the news itself.

As information technology continues to evolve, AJ+’s actions underscore the potential for state-backed media to shape electoral outcomes in foreign nations. Preventing similar Qatari interference in future elections must be prioritized by lawmakers and the executive branch.

Appendix A:

Many of these videos were posted by AJ+ multiple times in the leadup to the election (with one peaking at eight separate posts). The views for each video were tallied on December 2^nd, 2024. An “X” in place of a number signifies that the video could not be located on that platform.