In light of the federal investigation into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, the Brookings Institution’s president, retired Marine Gen. John Allen, resigned Sunday.
In a letter sent to the organization, one of the most influential think tanks in the US, Allen did not offer a direct explanation but wrote that he was leaving with a heavy heart knowing, as he said, it is best for all concerned at this moment.
The resignation of Allen, a retired four-star Marine general who led US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, comes less than a week after the media reports on the FBI’s seizing Allen’s electronic data as part of the lobbying probe detailed in the new court filings.
The seized data was part of the FBI’s potential criminal case investigation of Allen who allegedly withheld incriminating documents and made false statements about his role in an illegal foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar.
Allen’s behind-the-scenes efforts to help the oil-rich Persian Gulf monarchy influence US policy in June 2017, during the diplomatic crisis that erupted between Qatar and its neighbors, were all detailed in the court filings.
The search warrant application filed by FBI agent Babak Adib also stated there is substantial evidence that Allen’s violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) were willful.
According to the affidavit, Allen gave a false version of events about his work for Qatar during a 2020 interview with law enforcement officials and failed to produce relevant email messages in response to an earlier grand jury subpoena.
He also misrepresented his role in the lobbying campaign to US officials failing to disclose he was simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with Qatar’s government.
Though Allen has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes yet, Brookings had put him on administrative leave the day after the initial reports on the federal investigation against him.
According to recent tax records, the think tank had initially hired Allen as a senior fellow before tapping him as president in late 2017 and was paying him more than $1 million a year.
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