Bruesewitz's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, calls Utley's claims untrue, flaccid and defamatory

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Derek Utley's court filing says Alex Bruesewitz took about $500,000 from people with ties to Qatar; Bruesewitz and Qatar's embassy deny it

On November 9, 2026, Derek Utley, the former chairman and chief financial officer of the social media consulting firm X Strategies, filed an answer and counterclaim in a federal lawsuit the firm brought against him in September. The filing says that Alex Bruesewitz, the firm's co-founder and chief executive and an adviser to President Donald Trump, received about $500,000 from individuals with ties to Qatar in connection with an undisclosed business or consulting arrangement, and that two Syrian billionaires paid for his honeymoon accommodations in the Maldives. It states these allegations on information and belief, attaches no documents supporting them, and says his foreign dealings raise questions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Bruesewitz says he has never been paid by Qatar, calls the allegations debunked, and has said he will bring defamation claims against anyone of notoriety who says otherwise. His lawyer, Bradford Cohen, called the claims flaccid and defamatory. Qatar's embassy in Washington said Bruesewitz received no money from the State of Qatar or at its direction. Alex deGrasse, a political consultant the filing says was told of the payment, said its account was untrue. The X Strategies complaint accuses Utley of embezzling at least $5 million from the firm between 2021 and 2026. Utley denies it, and his counterclaim says the company fired him without cause.