FACT CHECK: Quincy Institute Says DC Think Tanks Have Too Many Foreign Conflicts of Interest

Claim: “Washington-based think tanks have been notoriously slow to implement the same conflict of interest policies and disclosures commonly implemented by journalists, academics, and scientists.”

Who said it? Eli Clifton, senior adviser at Quincy Institute’s isolationist Quincy Institute. “Investigative-Journalist-at-Large” at Responsible StatecraftOnline magazine from the Quincy Institute:

Why it is important: Clifton was critiquing the Atlantic Council, a think-tank that was under fire after a week of protests. Washington Free Beacon report The president of the United Arab Emirates published a glowing CNBC editorial about the United Arab Emirates. He did not disclose that the group had taken millions out of the Gulf monarchy.

After the Free Beacon CNBC sent an editor’s comment to the Atlantic Council. It noted that “obvious conflict of interest.” The Atlantic Council added notes to other stories about UAE and acknowledged that it had not properly disclosed UAE donations in other stories.

Context: The Quincy Institute was founded in 2019. However, it has been plagued by conflicts of interest that have involved scholars who are linked to foreign governments. Trita Persi, a pro Iran activist accused of acting as a foreign agent in Tehran, is its cofounder.

Last year, the European Parliament suspended Eldar Mamedov is a Quincy contributor. He was known for his undeclared lobbying for Qatar and Morocco. Mamedov advised the European Parliament and has written more than 50 articles for Quincy. None of these articles reveal his foreign influence work.

Amir Handjani is a Quincy scholar who is not a resident. has been linked to spy on critics of Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi (authoritarian ruler of Ras Al Khaimah), one of seven kingdoms in the United Arab Emirates. Handjani was also a fellow at The Atlantic Council.

Analysis: The Atlantic Council does indeed support Turkey, and once received donations from a shadowy Ukrainian energy company connected to Hunter Biden. However, the Quincy Institute is not without its fair share.

The old saying is that those who live in corrupt homes shouldn’t be accused of financial impropriety. Quincy’s assertion about “Washington-based think tanks” Although it may be true, the institute ignores the fact that its scholars are just as mucky as the influence-peddlers at Atlantic Council.

This is a fact-check. We here at the Free Beacon They are impartial adjudicators. Therefore, we are unbiased adjudicators.