Brookings places retired general on leave amid FBI Qatar probe
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Retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen has been put on administrative leave amid a probe into his participation in an illicit lobbying effort on behalf of Qatar.
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Gen. John Allen
The renowned Brookings Institution has placed its President, retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, on administrative leave amid a federal investigation into his participation in an illicit lobbying effort on behalf of Qatar.
The Brookings announcement came a day after the FBI seized the electronic data of Allen, accused of making false statements and withholding "incriminating" documents regarding his role in an unlawful foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of the affluent Gulf nation of Qatar.
According to his spokesperson, Beau Phillips, Allen did nothing wrong or illegal. In a statement, Phillips claimed that "falsehoods about General Allen have been improperly publicized in this matter."
In an email sent to staff on Wednesday, Brookings stated that the institution is not under investigation and that the think tank's Executive Vice President, Ted Gayer, will serve as Interim President, encouraging the firm's confidence in "the team’s ability to remain focused on delivering quality, independence, and impact."
According to the most current tax filings, Brookings pays Allen more than $1 million each year. The communication to employees did not specify whether Allen would be paid while on leave.
Allen's federal probe has already netted Richard G. Olson, a retired US diplomat who recently served as Ambassador to Pakistan and the UAE, confirming that "he would plead guilty to charges of illegally lobbying for the government of Qatar."
Court documents mentioned that Olson, who worked as a Foreign Service officer for 34 years, also failed to "disclose gifts he received while he was an ambassador."
When he retired, Olson was a US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he reported directly to Secretary of State John Kerry.
He was an ambassador in the UAE from 2008 to 2011, and an ambassador in Pakistan from 2012 to 2015.
The lobbying campaign
According to federal law enforcement officials, Olson and Allen traveled to Qatar as part of the lobbying campaign to meet with the country's ruling Emir and other prominent officials.
The affidavit stated that Allen advised the Qataris to "employ the whole spectrum" of information operations, including "black and white" operations, at the meeting. "Black" operations are often clandestine and, in some cases, unlawful.
Allen intended to "have a chat" with Olson and Imaad Zuberi, a prolific political donor who is serving a 12-year jail sentence on corruption charges, about his salary before they traveled to Doha, according to the affidavit. Allen recommended in an email that he be given a $20,000 "speaker's fee" for the weekend trip, despite the fact that he wasn't giving a lecture, and then "work out a fuller arrangement of a longer-term relationship," according to the affidavit.
The affidavit mentions that Zuberi funded Allen's first-class flight to Qatar, but there is no evidence that the speaker's fee was paid. Allen's office previously stated that the general was never given a fee. It's not clear why. Some of Zuberi's former business acquaintances have accused him of failing to follow financial promises.
