If you're like many Americans you might
not know much about Qatar
Perched on the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar is one of the smallest countries in the world, just slightly larger than Connecticut
But oil has made Qatar one of the richest countries
It's that kind of money plus its strategic location that has Qatar playing an oversized role
In a number of controversies involving the Trump Administration and people linked to the President
For example Qatar's UN mission in early 2018 dropped a whopping $6.5 million for an apartment in a building owned by President Donald Trump
Qatar already had owned $10 million worth of other apartments in Trump World Tower in New York
Qatar for years has allowed the US military to keep its Central Command base in the country where more than
10,000 Americans and allied troops staff the nerve center for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
But Qatar has been a source of irritation to its neighbors who also are US allies
Those tensions boiled over in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
imposed a diplomatic and travel blockade on the country
They were irked by a Qatar's funding of the Al Jazeera media network and also by Qatar support from militant Islamic groups
The blockade was triggered by a story in Qatar's state-run news agency that quoted the nation's leader
lavishing praise on Hamas and calling Iran, quote, an Islamic power
Qatar claimed the story was fake and the result of a hack but it outraged Qatar's fellow Sunni Muslim neighbors
who view Shiite Muslim Iran as a
regional menace
Qatar provided CNBC with a statement from Jassim Al Thani media attache for the country saying it's a force for stability in the region
Qatar has never supported terrorism or extremism in any form
The UAE and Saudi Arabia aren't alone in their criticism of Qatar
President Trump has offered conflicting opinions about the country
In May 2017 Trump told Qatar's ruler, our relationship is extremely good
But less than a month later Trump congratulated Saudi Arabia on blockading Qatar
The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level
However just a week after that Qatar announced a $12 billion deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States
By April Qatar's Emir was being warmly welcomed by Trump at the White House
It's a great honor to have the Emir of Qatar with us
He is a friend of mine knew him long before I entered the world of politics, he's a great gentleman
We have a gentleman on my right, who buys a lot of equipment from us, a lot of purchases in the United States
and a lot of military airplanes, missiles lots of different things
We're making sure that terrorism funding is stopped in the countries that we are really related to, because I feel related
But those countries are stopping the funding of terrorism that includes UAE and includes Saudi Arabia that includes Qatar and others
And Qatar is taking other steps to improve its image in the eyes of Washington
After the Saudi-led blockade, Qatar began paying a lobbying firm founded by former Trump campaign aide
Barry Bennett a half million dollars per month
In all Qatar spent almost five million dollars on the heels of the blockade by hiring lobbyists, ad firms
and Washington DC lawyers in an effort to repair its status with the US
That kind of spending has raised eyebrows
A former American ambassador to Saudi Arabia quipped, it's going to allow a lot of  Washington lobbyists to buy a vacation home this year
Qatar says the money it has spent in the
United States pales in comparison to what has been spent by its neighbors
to defame Qatar's reputation
But Qatar did not reward attorney Michael Cohen who even while serving as Trump's personal lawyer sought a payday from the country
In 2016, Cohen solicit a payment of at least $1 million from Qatar
The Washington Post reported it was all
about access to and advice about the then incoming administration
Cohen was unsuccessful
Another Qatar, Trump connection involves Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor to the president
In March, NBC News reported that special counsel Robert Muller's team is probing whether Kushner's business talks with foreigners
during the presidential transition later
affected administration policies towards Qatar
The Kushner companies reportedly had approached Qatar's sovereign wealth fund about
possibly investing in the firm's financially troubled skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue
in Manhattan
NBC News reported that Qatari officials
considered turning over information about Kushner to Muller
but they decided against it
In August Brookfield Asset Management
announced that it's signed a 99 year lease for six-six-six 5th Avenue
which will reduce or eliminate the financial squeeze facing the Kushner company
the Qatar Investment Authority the country's sovereign wealth fund is one of the biggest investors in Brookfield
So while the Trump administration's
dealings with Russia have gotten much more attention
It's worth keeping an eye on Qatar to see if it becomes a source of even more drama for Trump's Presidency
