FBI Director Kash Patel signed bilateral security agreements with Qatar on Tuesday, in a move that is drawing renewed scrutiny to potential conflicts of interest surrounding his past lobbying for the Gulf emirate, the details of which he has failed to disclose.

During a meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha, Patel signed two memorandums of understanding with his counterpart “to advance mechanisms of security cooperation and coordinate efforts in training, the exchange of information and capacity-building,” according to Qatari state media.

“This step underscores the depth of the strategic partnership between the State of Qatar and the friendly United States of America, and bolsters our joint efforts in securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the minister of interior and head of the country’s Internal Security Force, who met with Patel on Tuesday, said in a social media post.

Neither Patel’s visit to Doha nor the agreements with Qatar have been publicly announced by the FBI. 

The security pacts follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in September pledging security guarantees if Qatar comes under attack — even as the Gulf state has faced criticism for hosting Hamas leaders and ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Patel, whose brief tenure leading the FBI has been mired in ethics controversies, drew scrutiny during his confirmation over undisclosed consulting for the Qatari government — provoking accusations that he improperly avoided registering as a foreign lobbyist.

Patel, who has said he will keep his consulting firm, Trishul, dormant during his time at the FBI, has not clarified what his contracts with Qatar had entailed.

In an ethics disclosure, Patel stated that he had “provided consulting services for the Embassy of Qatar” as recently as November 2024, and would recuse himself from any government work related to his former client for a period of one year after the work had concluded — unless granted authorization to do otherwise.

While the one-year buffer expired last month, Patel received a waiver in March allowing him to work on Qatar matters weeks after he had been confirmed by the Senate. The document did not specify the nature of his engagement with his former client.

Patel is among several top Trump administration officials who previously lobbied for Qatar, but his work in particular has raised red flags because of unresolved questions stemming from his past engagement with the Gulf state — which he is now more actively courting in spite of continuing ethics concerns.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment regarding Patel’s visit to Doha on Tuesday.