The FBI has seized the electronic data of a retired four-star general 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.

New federal court files unsealed Tuesday outlined a possible criminal case against former Marine Gen. John R. Allen, who oversaw US and NATO forces in Afghanistan before being appointed to chair the renowned Brookings Institution think tank in 2017.

It's part of a larger probe that includes Richard G. Olson, a former ambassador to the UAE and Pakistan who pled guilty to federal charges last week, and Imaad Zuberi, a prolific political donor who is serving a 12-year jail sentence on corruption charges. As part of the investigation, several members of Congress have been interrogated.

Allen's financial interests

The court filings disclose Allen's behind-the-scenes efforts to help Qatar influence US policy in 2017 when the gas-rich Gulf monarchy and its neighbors were embroiled in a diplomatic dispute.

“There is substantial evidence that these FARA violations were willful,” FBI agent Babak Adib wrote in a search warrant application, referring to the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Allen also misrepresented his role in the lobbying campaign to US officials, Adib wrote, and failed to disclose “that he was simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with the government of Qatar.”

Spread of false events

The FBI claims that during a 2020 interview with law enforcement officials, Allen offered a "false version of events" about his work for Qatar and neglected to submit pertinent email exchanges in response to an earlier grand jury subpoena.

The 77-page search warrant application appears to have been filed in error and was withdrawn from the docket Tuesday after The Associated Press inquired about its contents with federal authorities.

Allen did not respond to the latest filings. He earlier denied ever operating as a Qatari agent and stated that his actions on Qatar in 2017 were motivated by preventing a Gulf war that would put US troops at risk.

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According to Allen spokesperson Beau Phillips, Allen "voluntarily cooperated with the government's inquiry into this situation."

The affidavit stated that Allen, who was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution before becoming president, used his official email account at the think tank for some of his Qatar-related interactions.

Brookings did not reply immediately to a request for comment. Qatar has long been one of Brookings' largest financial benefactors, however, the organization recently stopped accepting Qatari cash.

Embargo on Qatar

In mid-2017, Olson was working with Zuberi on another Qatar-related topic when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf countries initiated an embargo on Qatar due to its claimed ties to terrorist groups and other difficulties.

Soon after the boycott was announced, then-President Donald Trump appeared to go against Qatar.

According to the court documents, Allen played a significant role in influencing the US response. Authorities claim Allen specifically pressured then-National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to change the Trump administration's tone against Qatar.

In an email to McMaster, Allen said the Qataris wanted the White House or State Department to issue a statement with language calling on all sides of the Gulf diplomatic crisis to “act with restraint.”

Federal law enforcement officials said that two days later, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement calling on other Gulf countries to "ease the blockade against Qatar" and requesting "no further escalation by the parties in the region."

The Qatar Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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 Zuberi 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.

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The FBI stated that Allen had additional financial incentives for assisting the Qataris and maintaining close contacts with its top leaders.

“At the same time he was lobbying US government officials on behalf of Qatar, Allen pursued at least one multimillion-dollar business deal with the Qatari government on behalf of a company on whose board of directors he served,” the affidavit says.

Following their travel to Qatar, Allen and Olson contacted members of Congress, namely those who backed a House resolution connecting Qatar to terror financing, according to the FBI.

Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, said he didn't recall exactly what Allen said but that he sensed that he was there "to support the Qatari officials and their position."