NBC’s Election Night Republican Pundit Disclosed as Foreign Agent of Qatar | Exclusive
Garrett Ventry, who will be joining NBC News’ Election Night coverage as a Republican pundit on Tuesday, is a registered foreign agent of Qatar, TheWrap has learned.
Ventry is the head of GRV Strategies, a lobbying firm that provides “strategic advice about navigating Capitol Hill legislation and investigations,” according to its website. The firm also helps clients “land persuasive pieces in the conservative and mainstream press that will influence policymakers and the public.”
Qatar has been called Hamas’ most important financial backer and foreign ally. The former head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, had resided in Doha since 2016 until his death in 2024.
It’s unclear if Ventry or NBC planned on disclosing his ties to Qatar; the network, as well as Ventry, did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Prior to that, he was the chief of staff to former Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, and a senior advisor to New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.
In September, Ventry registered as a foreign agent with the U.S. Department of Justice, with the International Media Office of State of Qatar listed as his Foreign Principal. Ventry, his filing said, will perform public relations and communications work on behalf of the Qatari government’s media wing.
O’Dwyers — an outlet dedicated to PR news — reported Ventry’s deal with Qatar is worth $960,000 for one year of work.
Election Night won’t be the first time Ventry has appeared on NBC. Earlier this year, Ventry was brought on as a “Republican strategist” to talk about the Iowa Republican Caucus and the January 6 Capitol Riot. He also appeared on “Meet the Press” last year. Ventry has been a Fox News contributor as well, appearing on a handful of shows and writing two opinion stories for the outlet, including one from April titled “Trump is right: Republicans need to reframe the abortion debate.”
On X, Ventry has been fairly bullish on Donald Trump’s odds of heading back to The White House.
“Trump is in a stronger position polling wise than in 2016 when he won, and 2020 when the election was decided by tens of thousands of votes in a few swing states,” he posted last month. Ventry has not posted once about Qatar, it appears, on X.
Beyond its Hamas connections, Qatar has been criticized for its draconian treatment of women, among other abuses.
According to Human Rights Watch, “Women in Qatar must obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, pursue higher education on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care.”
Additionally, “Unmarried Qatari women below 25 require their guardian’s permission to travel” outside the country, and “unmarried women who report sexual violence can be prosecuted for non-marital sex if authorities do not believe them with a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment, as well as floggings if they are Muslim.”
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