U.S. – The involvement of retired US General John Allen in lobbying in Qatar
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed interesting details about retired Marine General John Allen. The investigation showed that Allen secretly cooperated with Qatar and worked illegally for the Qatari regime, which led observers to confirm Doha’s involvement in cases related to supporting and financing terrorism, which confirms the sincerity of Arab countries in their accusations against Qatar.
Backstage investigation
The Brookings Institution has suspended John Allen until federal investigators finish their investigation into his participation in an illegal lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar, according to the Financial Times.
The decision by the prestigious Washington-based Public Policy Foundation follows the release this week of an affidavit indicating that the FBI was looking into whether Allen tried to help Qatar through a diplomatic crisis in 2017 and cover up its involvement in lobbying efforts.
The affidavit revealed new details about a broad federal investigation into Doha’s efforts to influence the administration of former President Donald Trump.
According to the court file, Allen traveled to Qatar to meet with senior officials and then reported those meetings to senior Trump administration officials. He said he did so in his personal capacity while hiding that he was paid by Qatar. The affidavit said he advised Qataris on specific steps to gain U.S. support during the dispute and asked Trump administration officials to take action on Qatar’s behalf without properly disclosing the nature of his work.
Allen violations
Allen violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act because he was not registered in a US federal database as a person lobbying on behalf of foreign countries as required by US law, and the Justice Department has stepped up efforts to investigate a large number of abuses, most of them connected to Qatar.
Richard Olson, former US ambassador to Pakistan and US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, pleaded guilty last week to federal charges in connection with the investigation and will cooperate with the prosecutors‘ investigation into Allen.
Brookings Institute involvement
Allen, a retired four-star general, became president of the Brookings Institution in November 2017 after previously commanding US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
In an email to staff, the Brookings Institution’s Co-Chairs, Glenn Hutchins, and Suzanne Nora Johnson said that Allen made a personal trip to Qatar in 2017, before being appointed President of the Brookings Institution.
Hutchins and Johnson added that the Brookings Institution is not the subject of this investigation and has strong policies to prevent donors from directing research activities.
The Brookings Institution had previously received funds from Qatar but ended its financial relations with the state in 2019, and decided that year to close several foreign centers, including one in Doha.
