Democrats Eye Trump's Middle East Ties in Planned Corruption Probes
After the US midterm elections, Democrats, who will hold a congressional majority from January, say they will investigate corruption allegations against the Trump administration. Many of the cases involve the president's family's ties to wealthy Gulf states.
Following the recent US midterm elections, senior Democratic Party figures have said that when the new Congress convenes in January they will investigate corruption allegations against President Donald Trump's administration. Several polls show corruption is a leading voter concern. Analysts expect many of the inquiries to focus on links between Trump, his family and wealthy Middle Eastern countries.
Amy Hawthorne, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based think tank Arab Center, wrote that cases involving the Middle East will be Democrats' top targets.
Income and cryptocurrency
Trump's financial disclosures from this year show his businesses earned about $2 billion in 2025, triple the previous year. Brian Katulis of the Middle East Institute estimates Gulf entities paid around $300 million to the president's businesses. Much of the income came from selling a stake in the cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial to an investment firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a senior United Arab Emirates official. Critics see a link to the US decision in May to give the UAE access to advanced AI chips; the administration denies it.
Real estate, a jet and the Board of Peace
Trump-branded projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and the Maldives are being built by local developers. In 2025 Trump reported $59.5 million in foreign real estate licensing income, nearly two-thirds of it from the Gulf, CNBC reported. Questions have also been raised over a luxury jet worth about $400 million gifted by Qatar's royal family.
The Gaza Board of Peace, chaired by Trump indefinitely, has also drawn criticism. The Financial Times reported that the World Bank account meant for its funds was empty, while money was placed in a private bank account without oversight.
Kushner's role
Robert Garcia, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has made the inquiry into the Trump family a priority. Concerns centre on Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's activities in the Middle East. Kushner denies the allegations and has threatened to sue Vanity Fair.
