Trump's EPA Nominee Was Employed by Firm Connected to Menendez Scandal, Led by Qatar
Former Representative Lee Zeldin's financial disclosures reveal that his firm received payment from Heritage Advisors, an entity connected to the case that resulted in the downfall of the New Jersey senator last year.
TroibNews 
Lee Zeldin, nominated by President Donald Trump to head the Environmental Protection Agency, has received consulting payments from a Qatari investor linked to the felony corruption case involving former Senator Bob Menendez, as indicated by Zeldin's financial disclosure records.
Since January 2023, Zeldin has been compensated at least $5,000 for his work with Heritage Advisors, a London-based venture capital fund led by Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. The ethics disclosure does not specify the exact nature of Zeldin's work for Heritage Advisors or detail his earnings.
A Republican lawyer and ex-House member from New York, Zeldin operates a crisis management and public relations firm. This latest financial disclosure may raise concerns that could hinder his path to a Cabinet position, where he would play a role in promoting fossil fuels and reversing the EPA’s pollution regulations established during the Biden administration.
Zeldin is facing a confirmation vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee scheduled for Thursday.
Heritage Advisors has not been implicated in the trial that resulted in Menendez’s 2024 conviction for accepting bribes to aid Qatar's interests, among other allegations. Federal prosecutors revealed that Menendez had recommended Qatar to assist a developer friend—who was bribing him—in securing a significant investment from Heritage Advisors after another backer withdrew from the project.
Notably, Zeldin has publicly denounced the Qatari government's attempts to sway U.S. policy. However, an ethics expert suggested that the financial ties between Zeldin and Heritage Advisors could raise questions about the potential influence of the Qatari government on the EPA nominee, which the Senate should clarify before granting him a prominent federal position.
“Given the role that Heritage Advisors played in the Menendez matter, the American people deserve greater transparency about the nature of Mr. Zeldin's relationship with that entity,” Norman Eisen, a former Obama administration ethics adviser, noted in an email. “That includes the nature and duration of his consulting arrangement and exactly how much money he earned from that entity,” he added. “We need to know how heavily invested the Qatari royal family is in connection with Mr. Zeldin before he takes office in the Trump Administration.”
Prosecutors highlighted during Menendez’s trial that the former senator had spoken favorably about Qatar to assist real estate developer Fred Daibes—who was convicted last year of bribing Menendez—secure Heritage Advisors as an investor for a waterfront project after a Chinese backer withdrew.
In response to questions from the Environment and Public Works Committee, Zeldin indicated that his consulting work for Heritage Advisors extended from April to December 2023 but did not provide details about the nature of his services.
Zeldin asserted that his consulting activities did not necessitate registration as a foreign government agent, and he confirmed that he did not reach out to any U.S. government agency, Congress, or U.S.-incorporated news organizations on behalf of Heritage Advisors or Al Thani.
Daniel Gall, Zeldin’s spokesperson, did not address inquiries regarding Zeldin’s work with Heritage Advisors or Al Thani. However, a statement was provided from Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the then-Trump transition team. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies,” Hughes stated.
Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who served as an ethics lawyer in former President George W. Bush’s administration and ran for a U.S. House seat as a Democrat, expressed that Zeldin’s connection to Heritage Advisors warrants scrutiny from the Senate. However, he does not expect this relationship to jeopardize Zeldin's confirmation given the ethical and legal issues Trump has previously faced.
“The bar is not what it used to be,” Painter remarked in an email.
Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee did not directly address Zeldin’s association with Heritage Advisors but noted that he had complied with all necessary requirements.
“Former-Rep. Zeldin has disclosed all required financial information, completed his ethics agreement, and will honorably serve our country — as he has before in the U.S. Military and House of Representatives — as the next EPA Administrator once confirmed,” Republican committee spokesperson Brent Scott articulated in a statement.
Heritage Advisors identifies itself as an independent firm led by Al Thani, who previously managed the family’s business interests. Another key figure at Heritage Advisors, Ali Al Thawadi, advises Qatar on investments, according to court documents from the Menendez case. A federal judge recently denied Menendez a retrial; he is scheduled for sentencing on January 29, with prosecutors recommending a 15-year sentence, whereas Menendez's legal team seeks 21 to 27 months.
Neither Heritage Advisors nor Al Thani responded to requests for comment.
Heritage Advisors has invested in a New Jersey project initially spearheaded by Daibes, which has been a focal point in the Menendez trial. The property is situated on the Quanta Superfund site along the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, where state officials found that soil fumes presented short-term health risks, contradicting claims from the Trump administration that it was safe, according to reporting from NorthJersey.com.
Should he be confirmed as EPA administrator, Zeldin would oversee the nation’s Superfund program, which cleans up contaminated sites and can require responsible parties to finance the cleanup process.
Zeldin has consistently criticized Qatari governmental influence and, in a February 1, 2023 opinion piece, accused Qatar and other nations of shaping U.S. government actions through funding think tanks, claiming this strategy bypasses laws requiring lobbyists acting on behalf of foreign governments to register as agents.
“Think tanks wield an outsized influence with legislators, who often adopt their positions wholesale, presenting foreign governments a chance to covertly shape U.S. policy,” Zeldin wrote in that Newsweek article. “But what happens when the ‘experts’ filling these roles are effectively paid agents of foreign governments like China, Russia, Iran, and Qatar?”
This opinion piece was published before Zeldin began consulting for Heritage Advisors, which has also invested $50 million in pro-Trump media outlet Newsmax.
Ry Rivard contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
Since January 2023, Zeldin has been compensated at least $5,000 for his work with Heritage Advisors, a London-based venture capital fund led by Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. The ethics disclosure does not specify the exact nature of Zeldin's work for Heritage Advisors or detail his earnings.
A Republican lawyer and ex-House member from New York, Zeldin operates a crisis management and public relations firm. This latest financial disclosure may raise concerns that could hinder his path to a Cabinet position, where he would play a role in promoting fossil fuels and reversing the EPA’s pollution regulations established during the Biden administration.
Zeldin is facing a confirmation vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee scheduled for Thursday.
Heritage Advisors has not been implicated in the trial that resulted in Menendez’s 2024 conviction for accepting bribes to aid Qatar's interests, among other allegations. Federal prosecutors revealed that Menendez had recommended Qatar to assist a developer friend—who was bribing him—in securing a significant investment from Heritage Advisors after another backer withdrew from the project.
Notably, Zeldin has publicly denounced the Qatari government's attempts to sway U.S. policy. However, an ethics expert suggested that the financial ties between Zeldin and Heritage Advisors could raise questions about the potential influence of the Qatari government on the EPA nominee, which the Senate should clarify before granting him a prominent federal position.
“Given the role that Heritage Advisors played in the Menendez matter, the American people deserve greater transparency about the nature of Mr. Zeldin's relationship with that entity,” Norman Eisen, a former Obama administration ethics adviser, noted in an email. “That includes the nature and duration of his consulting arrangement and exactly how much money he earned from that entity,” he added. “We need to know how heavily invested the Qatari royal family is in connection with Mr. Zeldin before he takes office in the Trump Administration.”
Prosecutors highlighted during Menendez’s trial that the former senator had spoken favorably about Qatar to assist real estate developer Fred Daibes—who was convicted last year of bribing Menendez—secure Heritage Advisors as an investor for a waterfront project after a Chinese backer withdrew.
In response to questions from the Environment and Public Works Committee, Zeldin indicated that his consulting work for Heritage Advisors extended from April to December 2023 but did not provide details about the nature of his services.
Zeldin asserted that his consulting activities did not necessitate registration as a foreign government agent, and he confirmed that he did not reach out to any U.S. government agency, Congress, or U.S.-incorporated news organizations on behalf of Heritage Advisors or Al Thani.
Daniel Gall, Zeldin’s spokesperson, did not address inquiries regarding Zeldin’s work with Heritage Advisors or Al Thani. However, a statement was provided from Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the then-Trump transition team. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies,” Hughes stated.
Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who served as an ethics lawyer in former President George W. Bush’s administration and ran for a U.S. House seat as a Democrat, expressed that Zeldin’s connection to Heritage Advisors warrants scrutiny from the Senate. However, he does not expect this relationship to jeopardize Zeldin's confirmation given the ethical and legal issues Trump has previously faced.
“The bar is not what it used to be,” Painter remarked in an email.
Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee did not directly address Zeldin’s association with Heritage Advisors but noted that he had complied with all necessary requirements.
“Former-Rep. Zeldin has disclosed all required financial information, completed his ethics agreement, and will honorably serve our country — as he has before in the U.S. Military and House of Representatives — as the next EPA Administrator once confirmed,” Republican committee spokesperson Brent Scott articulated in a statement.
Heritage Advisors identifies itself as an independent firm led by Al Thani, who previously managed the family’s business interests. Another key figure at Heritage Advisors, Ali Al Thawadi, advises Qatar on investments, according to court documents from the Menendez case. A federal judge recently denied Menendez a retrial; he is scheduled for sentencing on January 29, with prosecutors recommending a 15-year sentence, whereas Menendez's legal team seeks 21 to 27 months.
Neither Heritage Advisors nor Al Thani responded to requests for comment.
Heritage Advisors has invested in a New Jersey project initially spearheaded by Daibes, which has been a focal point in the Menendez trial. The property is situated on the Quanta Superfund site along the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, where state officials found that soil fumes presented short-term health risks, contradicting claims from the Trump administration that it was safe, according to reporting from NorthJersey.com.
Should he be confirmed as EPA administrator, Zeldin would oversee the nation’s Superfund program, which cleans up contaminated sites and can require responsible parties to finance the cleanup process.
Zeldin has consistently criticized Qatari governmental influence and, in a February 1, 2023 opinion piece, accused Qatar and other nations of shaping U.S. government actions through funding think tanks, claiming this strategy bypasses laws requiring lobbyists acting on behalf of foreign governments to register as agents.
“Think tanks wield an outsized influence with legislators, who often adopt their positions wholesale, presenting foreign governments a chance to covertly shape U.S. policy,” Zeldin wrote in that Newsweek article. “But what happens when the ‘experts’ filling these roles are effectively paid agents of foreign governments like China, Russia, Iran, and Qatar?”
This opinion piece was published before Zeldin began consulting for Heritage Advisors, which has also invested $50 million in pro-Trump media outlet Newsmax.
Ry Rivard contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
