We are writing to request the immediate suspension of press credentials for the Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN), and for that suspension to remain in place until the State of Qatar and its propaganda arm agree to adhere to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and other U.S. laws.

Credentialed members of the House and Senate galleries enjoy unparalleled access to the U.S. Capitol, as well as to Senators, Members of Congress, and staffers. While this access is necessary for the media to provide accurate reporting to the American public, it is also the kind of access coveted by foreign powers seeking sensitive information from inside Congress. The most recent list of press credentials issued by Congress shows that Al Jazeera’s various subsidiaries (Al Jazeera International, Al Jazeera English, and AJ+) have 136 employees who have been credentialed by Congress. For context, the New York Times has 82 employees with credentials.

President Joe Biden talks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, January 30, 2023, after returning from an event in Baltimore on infrastructure. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Bergman noted, “Troublingly, state-sponsored media outlets are not subjected to background checks prior to acquiring credentials” and do not have a limit on the number of “journalists” who can receive credentials and are essentially given “all-access passes” to Capitol Hill, even after some states have been “known to have conducted espionage operations targeting U.S. government officials or other Americans.”

He explained in further detail about some of the state-sponsored media outlets from the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and the State of Qatar:

Over the past decade, the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and the State of Qatar have aggressively deployed their espionage forces against United States Government agencies and government officials, as well as targeting thousands of United States businesses and Americans perceived to be opponents or dissidents of their regimes.

The spy balloon recently launched over the continental United States was only one of many examples of Chinese government espionage and surveillance targeting Americans. Yet, as noted in the bill’s findings, more than two dozen credentials were issued in the 118^th Congress to media outlets that are registered under FARA as Chinese agents and another 16 credentials were issued to media outlets owned and/or controlled by senior officials in the Chinese Communist Party.

…

Russia’s track record is no secret, neither is the fact that Russia has repeatedly engaged in espionage and surveillance targeting Americans, including the Democratic National Committee (DNC).  Yet in the 118^th Congress, Channel One Russian TV had three press credentials in the Congressional Press Galleries and Russian State TV and Radio (RTR) had four.

“It is difficult to see how anyone could stand in opposition to legislation that merely requires foreign state-sponsored media outlets to comply with U.S. law in order to receive Congressional press credentials,” Bergman stated.