The charges against the advisers were publicly revealed in court documents in Washington just minutes before federal prosecutors in New York unveiled a new indictment against Menendez (DN.J.) that accused him of helping the Qatari government in exchange for bribes.
There was no clear connection between the indictment against Menendez and the cases of Bennett and Watts, but the simultaneous unveiling of the charges indicates the extent to which the oil-rich country has harnessed political allies in both parties to defend its interests in Washington.
Prosecutors noted that Bennett and Watts entered into “deferred prosecution” agreements that would allow charges to be dropped after a year if the two men adhered to the terms of the deals. The two men face charges of planning to hide their work for a foreign government and making false statements about their work.
As part of the agreements, Bennett will pay a $100,000 fine, and Watts will pay $25,000. Both also agreed to refrain for one year from engaging in any lobbying or public relations work covered by FARA.
Bennett and Watts joined the pro-Trump effort after they quit the collapsed campaign of then-GOP presidential nominee Ben Carson in 2016.
Prosecutors assert that Bennett and Watts created an organization called “Yemen Crisis Monitor” at the request of Qatar to draw attention to allegations of brutality by the Saudi government in a military conflict with the Houthi armed group in Yemen.
In an August 2017 email, Bennett wrote to Watts that he would “participate in the entity” while Bennett would “quietly manage the entire project,” he said.
Statement of facts The cases were filed on Tuesday.
The two men organized briefings on related issues on Capitol Hill and helped organize the publication of at least two editorials in the Washington Examiner.
Lawyers for Bennett and Watts did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Under the terms of the deal, the men and their agents may not make any statements that question or undermine the facts presented by the prosecution.
After Carson's campaign failed in 2016, Bennett took a job as a senior adviser on delegate issues to the Trump campaign, while Watts became national executive director of the major pro-Trump political action committee, the American Sovereignty Committee.
Bennett was a prominent GOP strategist for years and opened a lobbying center with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski shortly after the 2016 election. Lewandowski left the company early in Trump's term, and Bennett shuttered the company shortly after Joe Biden took office.
According to new court filings, Bennett and Watts' work at Yemen Crisis Watch lasted only about six months, but was under scrutiny by investigators for about four years.
News of the investigation emerged publicly in 2021. In an interview with Politico in May 2021, Bennett called reports of the investigation “rumors.” Bennett's financial assets were also partially frozen after one of Carson's campaign associates, Ying Ma, sued him in Maryland state court, alleging he failed to pay her $300,000 and lied to federal investigators about it.
Bennett denied the allegations. The couple later settled the lawsuit.
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