In the swirl of Middle East diplomacy and high-stakes real estate, the Witkoff family has found itself at the center of a controversy that touches both global politics and big money. According to reporting by The New York Times and corroborated by The Times of Israel and the Washington Examiner, Alex Witkoff—the son of U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—sought billions of dollars in investment from Gulf states for a U.S. real estate fund earlier this year, just as his father was negotiating a crucial ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The timing and nature of these overlapping pursuits have raised eyebrows and prompted accusations of potential conflicts of interest. Yet, both the Witkoff family and the White House have forcefully denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated attacks.
At the heart of the story is the Special Situations Real Estate Credit Fund, a proposed $4 billion vehicle aimed at U.S. commercial real estate. Alex Witkoff, now CEO of the Witkoff Group, reportedly approached the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, pitching the fund as a major opportunity. According to a fundraising document cited by The New York Times, the fund had the potential to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and profit shares—a lucrative proposition for both the investors and the Witkoff Group itself.
Qatar, a key U.S. ally and mediator in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, confirmed through a spokesperson for the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) that Alex Witkoff had indeed approached them. After internal discussions, however, Qatar decided not to invest. "Qatar’s investment decisions are kept entirely separate from diplomacy," a Qatari government spokesperson told the Washington Examiner, emphasizing that the country’s financial choices are not influenced by political relationships.
While the fund never came to fruition, the episode has drawn scrutiny due to the Witkoff family’s longstanding business ties with Qatar. In 2023, Qatar purchased the troubled Park Lane Hotel—previously co-owned by Steve Witkoff—for $623 million, allowing him to exit a heavily indebted investment. More recently, since Steve Witkoff’s entry into the Trump administration as Middle East envoy in January 2025, the Witkoff Group received $100 million from the Apollo Trust, a fund partly owned by Qatar, for a Palm Beach project. The Witkoff Group also accepted another $100 million from Apollo in May 2025, according to both The Times of Israel and the Washington Examiner.
Yet, Apollo has insisted that Qatar-linked investors "have no role in directing or choosing the investments" the trust makes, seeking to distance the sovereign wealth fund from any suggestion of impropriety. Qatar, for its part, has flatly denied trying to cultivate a relationship with the Witkoffs to curry favor with the Trump administration, labeling such claims as "entirely false and so lacking in credibility that they can only be described as absurd."
The story’s roots go back to the start of Donald Trump’s presidency. In 2017, as Qatar faced a regional blockade, the country worked to build U.S. relationships, particularly with prominent Jewish figures close to Trump. A lobbying memo prepared for Qatar described Steve Witkoff as a "confidant" and "unofficial adviser" to Trump and suggested that investing in his real estate ventures could help Qatar build political goodwill with the administration. The memo, cited by both The New York Times and the Washington Examiner, argued, "Real estate has long been an entree to a higher profile and domestic engagement for foreign investors."
Responding to the recent reports, the Witkoff Group has pushed back hard. Spokesperson Anna LaPorte told The New York Times that the fund was "preliminary" and that the company "is not moving forward with that fund." She added, "Our founder Steve Witkoff has had no involvement in our company since 2024, and so despite the dishonest innuendo, the suggestion that any sort of ‘conflict of interest’ exists is categorically false." The statement continued, "We never went beyond preliminary discussions regarding forming this fund, never said to possible investors that funds were ‘locked down’ from these companies, and never even spoke to some of the purported possible investors mentioned."
The group also took aim at the reporting itself, claiming, "Many of the reported statements in this article are patently false and the New York Times intentionally chose not to include our full statement, which is not a surprise given the ‘journalist’ Debra Kamin who wrote it failed to disclose her clear conflicts of interest including her radical left-wing history of anti-Trump posts and donating to democrats like Elizabeth Warren For President." The spokesperson concluded, "The Witkoff Group has been active in both real estate equity and credit (including funds) since the 1990s and we will not be bullied by a leftwing smear campaign from the media to try to force us to stop doing the work that we’ve done for 30 years – because our founder – who no longer has anything to do with our company – happens to now work for the current administration."
The White House has also weighed in, with spokesperson Anna Kelly calling the New York Times story "another bogus smear from the failing New York Times against Steve Witkoff." She noted that Steve Witkoff was "finalizing" his divestment from the company and emphasized, "Steve Witkoff takes seriously his compliance with the government ethics rules." White House counsel David Warrington echoed this, telling the New York Times that Witkoff "takes seriously his compliance with the government ethics rules."
Despite the swirl of allegations, both the New York Times and the Washington Examiner noted that there is "no evidence that Qatar’s business relationship with the Witkoff family has affected Steve Witkoff’s diplomatic negotiations." In fact, Steve Witkoff has been credited by a Qatari government advisor as someone who helped secure the Gaza ceasefire in January 2025, highlighting his significant role in brokering peace during a volatile period.
As for the broader context, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund remains one of the largest and most active in the world, with billions at the ready for investment in the United States and beyond. The country has invested heavily in American real estate, and its decisions—according to its own statements—are guided by financial, not political, considerations. To that end, the Qatari Embassy even hired Stonington Strategies, a firm led by Republican strategist Nicolas Muzin and restaurateur Joey Allaham, to help find prominent American Jews willing to vouch for Qatar with federal officials. A memo from Allaham described Steve Witkoff as a valuable bridge to the Trump administration and the Jewish community, but both Qatar and the Witkoff Group have denied that any such influence played a role in their dealings.
The story of the Witkoff family, Qatar, and the tangled web of diplomacy and business offers a window into the complexities of global finance and politics. While the facts are contested and the rhetoric heated, the episode underscores the delicate balance between private enterprise and public service—especially when billions of dollars and international peace are on the line.
For now, the Special Situations Real Estate Credit Fund remains shelved, and all parties insist that ethics and legality have been strictly observed. But as the worlds of diplomacy and business continue to intersect, the scrutiny is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
