Lawsuit pits Jewish fundraiser against lobbyist over Qatar and leaked emails

Elliot Broidy, a major Jewish Republican donor and top fundraiser, has sued the government of Qatar and a Jewish lobbyist on its behalf for hacking and leaking his and his wife’s email accounts.

The federal lawsuit filed Monday in California alleges that the emails were leaked to show that Broidy is using his relationship with elected Republicans to influence policy decisions. Broidy also accuses Nicolas Muzin, whose lobbying firm Stonington Strategies has a $300,000 monthly contract with the government of Qatar, of working to discredit Broidy’s attempt to “educate the American people about Qatar,” Reuters reported.

The hacked emails have been leaked to reporters over the past several weeks, sparking negative news stories about Broidy’s business practices and his communications with US politicians and foreign governments.

“We believe the evidence is clear that a nation state is waging a sophisticated disinformation campaign against me in order to silence me, including hacking emails, forging documents, and engaging in espionage and numerous other illegal activities,” Broidy said in a statement. “We believe it is also clear that I have been targeted because of my strong political views against Qatar’s state sponsored terrorism and double dealing.”

Qatar denies that it is involved in the email hack, and told the Huffington Post it could countersue for defamation.

Muzin told the Huffington Post that Broidy’s lawsuit is “an obvious attempt to draw attention away from his controversial work.”

Muzin and Broidy are both active in pro-Israel advocacy.

As part of his effort to improve Qatar’s image, Muzin worked to get Jewish-American leaders to meet with Qatar’s emir in New York during the United Nations General Assembly and to visit Qatar on an all-expenses-paid trip, according to the lawsuit, Huffington Post reported. Broidy urged the Jewish leaders to turn down the invitation.

The hacking began three months ago when Broidy’s wife, Robin Rosenzweig, fell for a phishing email and entered her login information, which also gave access to Broidy’s accounts.