Rep. Mike Waltz has called on Bill Gates to prohibit Hamas militants from staying at any Four Seasons hotel, especially one that is located in Qatar, noting that the Microsoft co-founder has a majority position in the hotel chain through his investment business.
According to the New York Post, Waltz, a Republican from Florida and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, threatened the tech mogul that he could be exposed to counterterrorism sanctions if he refuses to cooperate – including life in jail.
The Four Seasons Hotel in Doha previously served as home to events organized by Hamas’ political branch, including a 2016 reception with Ahmet Davutoglu, the former prime minister of Turkey, and a 2015 news conference by prominent Hamas figure Khaled Mashal.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Politburo, also stayed at the opulent hotel and was accused of “lounging” there while directing the horrifying terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens on October 7 and directing the blocking of Palestinians from leaving the Gaza Strip ahead of an impending ground invasion by the Israel Defense Forces.
In 2021, Gates’ Cascade Investment, LLC acquired a controlling position in the Four Seasons when it paid Saudi Arabian billionaire Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud for 23.75% of the hotel chain.
According to Waltz, supplying the terrorist group “material support” would subject Gates to “legal penalties, including up to life in prison.”
The Florida Republican noted that Gates’ name may be included in visa databases maintained by the State Department and the National Counterterrorism Center, as well as the Transportation Security Administration’s “Do Not Fly” list due to the Four Seasons’ support of Hamas.
Isadore Sharp, the founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas also received copies of the letter.
