In the midst of a probe into federal lobbying, former US General John Allen resigns from his position as President of Brookings Institution
A resignation letter sent by Politico’s reporter to Twitter on Sunday stated that John Allen, former Marine General, has quit as the president and chief executive officer of Brookings Institution. His departure comes in the midst of an ongoing FBI inquiry into his alleged involvement in an illegal lobbying campaign on Qatar’s behalf.
Allen stated in his letter, “He…” “leave[s] the institution with a heavy heart”But his departure was “best for all concerned in this moment.”
Brookings confirmed Allen’s departure in a posting on its own website on Sunday, stating that Ted Gayer would serve as acting president until the end of the summer and that information about the search for a replacement would be “fomassnews.coming.”
Another letter, written by the co-chairs of the think tank’s Board of Trustees, thanked Allen for “his contributions to Brookings, including his leadership in successfully guiding the institution during the pandemic, as well as his many years of service and sacrifice for our country.”
BREAKING — John Allen has resigned as CEO of the Brookings Institution after the think tank placed him on leave amid an FBI probe into his involvement in an illegal lobbying campaign for Qatar. pic.twitter.com/6bgaHDRfBm
Allen, who had served as president of the think-tank since 2017, was put on leave after his electronic data were seized by the FBI. The nature of the accusations against him became known in an alleged federal court filing. “in error,” according to the AP. After federal authorities requested comments, the filing was taken from public view.
Former general led NATO and US troops in Afghanistan during Obama’s Obama presidency. He allegedly gave advice. “false version of events”When federal agents asked him questions about his 2020 lobbying efforts for Qatar, he failed to supply emails. This was in spite of a subpoena from the grand jury. “willfully”According to warrant application, the foreign agents registration act was violated.
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A corrupt lobbyist is accused of a top US General
According to court documents, Allen helped Qatar affect US policies in 2017, during a diplomatic crisis that erupted between Qatar and its similarly wealthy neighbor. This was primarily by lobbying HR McMaster, then the national security adviser, to get the Trump administration more favorably positioned toward Doha. However, the FBI claims that he did not disclose this information. “he was simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with the government of Qatar.”
He had previously denied working as a Qatari agent at all, insisting his actions on Doha’s behalf in 2017 were aimed instead at preventing a war in the Persian Gulf, which would have been disastrous for the many US assets in the region.
Allen’s case is linked to that of former US ambassador to the UAE and Pakistan Richard Olson, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to federal charges also linked to lobbying for Qatar and demanded to know why Allen had not also been indicted, claiming to have worked closely with the ex-Marine for Doha. Imaad Zuberi was a Pakistani American businessman sentenced to 12 year imprisonment in February.
Brookings has also benefited financially from Qatari governments, even though Brookings claimed that it had stopped receiving funding from Qatar in 2019, and shut down its Brookings Doha Centre in 2021.
