Ice Cube Claims Qatar Tried to Used Him in Steve Bannon Bribery Plot
Last month, Ice Cube filed a lawsuit against three Persian Gulf investors for $1.2 billion claiming they are trying to take control of his BIG3 basketball league. Now, the rapper’s complaint has taken a bizarre turn.
According to the Daily Mail, Cube and business partner, Jeff Kwatinetz, alleges that the Qatari government wanted to bribe former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon.
Apparently, the investors are connected to the Qatari royal family. They promised to donate $20.5 million to the BIG3 league but only delivered $7.5 million. When Cube and Kwatinetz tried to get the rest of the money, Ahmed al Rumaihi, a member of the Qatari royal family, began inquiring about wanting to meet with Mr. Bannon.
In the lawsuit, Kwatinetz claims that al Rumaihi asked him to set up a meeting with Bannon so that he can send a missive from the Qatari Government to Bannon about backing all of his political efforts in return for his support. Kwatinetz revealed in his suit that he and Bannon were once good friends.
When Kwatinetz refused to negotiate a meeting, al Rumaihi laughed at him and called him naive. He, along with his other investors, then refused to fund the basketball league by making unfounded excuses.
"It’s like, goddamn, man, we’re the newest, smallest thing with one season under our belt. Go after the big boys," Cube told the Washington Post about his lawsuit. "That’s what this is more about. It’s like we’re going to tell the world what you tried to do. We ain’t no punks. They thought we was just this rapper and this rock guy: ‘We could do 'em.' Get your [butt] out of here."
The Qatari investors are countersuing Cube and Kwatinetz claiming defamation and demanding the case be moved to a federal court.
Attorneys for Ice Cube had no comment on the matter.
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