News 13 Correspondent Under Fire for Staying at Qatari Lobbyist's Home

News 13 correspondent in the United States, Suliman Maswadeh, is facing controversy following a report that he stayed for two weeks at the home of Jay Putlik, an American lobbyist who worked for Qatar and has been linked to a sensitive affair.

According to the report published in "Haaretz," Maswadeh resided in a property in Virginia owned by Putlik in September of last year, shortly after arriving in the U.S. for his new role. He even broadcast from the property's yard at least twice during his stay. Real estate documents indicate that Putlik's lobbying firm, Third Circle, which operated in conjunction with the Qatari embassy in Washington, used the property's address.

Putlik is a figure whose name has surfaced in the "Qatar affair," which involves allegations of promoting Qatari interests through individuals close to the Prime Minister. His name has been connected to transferring funds to Eli Feldstein and promoting pro-Qatar messages. Maswadeh himself previously testified to the police as part of the investigation into this affair, during his time at the public broadcaster Kan 11.

Maswadeh explained that he and Putlik are long-time personal friends and that his stay was a temporary housing arrangement while he settled in the U.S. He stated that he paid for his accommodation and that it was not a benefit received in his journalistic capacity.

News 13 acknowledged that Maswadeh "erred in judgment" but expressed full support for him. The network stated, "Maswadeh never covered Putlik, his businesses, or any of his clients, nor did he broadcast information from him, but he erred in judgment. The news company stands behind Suliman and fully backs his professional work."