Brookings Institution president sent on leave amid FBI probe over Qatar lobbying
Retired Marine General John Allen
Brookings Institution think-tank placed its president Retired Marine General John Allen on administrative leave amid FBI probing his role in an illegal lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar.
The latest move comes after the FBI recently seized Allen’s electronic data as part of the probe to find whether the retired four-star general helped Qatar influence US policy in the 2017 diplomatic crisis which erupted between the monarchy and its neighbours, AP news agency reported citing new court filings.
Allen has not been charged with any crimes and had previously denied any wrongdoing.
In an email Wednesday, Brookings told staffers that the Washington-based think tank is not under any investigation and that institution’s executive vice president, Ted Gayer, will serve as the acting president.
“We have every confidence in the Brookings team’s ability to remain focused on delivering quality, independence, and impact,” AP quoted the email as saying.
The FBI in the affidavit has claimed to have found “substantial evidence” that Allen knowingly broke a foreign lobbying law and made false statements and withheld “incriminating” documents. The US federal agency has now sought search a warrant.
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In the affidavit, it has been claimed that the Brookings Institution’s chief travelled to Qatar and met with the country’s top officials to offer them advice on how to influence US policy, as well as promote Qatar’s point of view to top White House officials and members of Congress.
Allen, who was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution prior to becoming president, used his official email account at the think tank for some of his Qatar-related communications, the affidavit says.
Qatar has long been one of Brookings’ biggest financial backers, though the institution says it has recently stopped taking Qatari funding.
The 2017 diplomatic crisis pertained to Arab countries like Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrainsevering ties with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism.
Qatar refused to comply with an initial list of 13 demands, saying it would not agree to any measures that threatened its sovereignty or violated international law.
(With inputs from agencies)
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