{"id":11068,"date":"2022-06-09T04:46:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T01:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeland-news.net\/?p=11068"},"modified":"2022-06-09T04:48:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T01:48:19","slug":"fbi-investigates-former-us-general-over-qatar-lobbying-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeland-news.net\/?p=11068","title":{"rendered":"FBI investigates former US general over Qatar lobbying role"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Homemade news\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Al Jazeera English<\/h1>\n

Former US Marine General and Brookings Institution President John R Allen waits to speak at a forum during the 2018 IMF\/World Bank spring meetings April 20, 2018, in Washington, DC [File: Brendan Smialowski\/AFP]<\/p>\n

The FBI has seized the electronic data of a retired four-star general who authorities say withheld \u201cincriminating\u201d documents and lied about his role in an illegal foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar.<\/p>\n

New federal court filings obtained Tuesday outlined a potential criminal case against former Marine General John R Allen, who led United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan before being tapped in 2017 to lead the influential Brookings Institution think-tank.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of an expanding investigation that has ensnared Richard G Olson, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, who pleaded guilty to federal charges last week, and Imaad Zuberi, a prolific political donor now serving a 12-year prison sentence on corruption charges. Several members of the US Congress have been interviewed as part of the investigation.<\/p>\n

The court filings detail Allen\u2019s alleged behind-the-scenes efforts to help Qatar influence US policy in 2017 when a diplomatic crisis erupted between the gas-rich Persian Gulf monarchy and its neighbours.<\/p>\n

According to the documents, Zuberi \u201cviewed the diplomatic crisis as a business opportunity\u201d and began working on selling lobbying services to Qatar. He contacted Olson, who in turn brought in Allen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can do this, we will own half of Qatar,\u201d Zuberi wrote to Olson in a WhatsApp message cited in the filing.<\/p>\n

US federal law stipulates that an individual lobbying for a foreign government must register with the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is substantial evidence that these FARA violations were willful,\u201d FBI agent Babak Adib wrote in a search warrant application, referring to the Foreign Agents Registration Act.<\/p>\n

Allen also misrepresented his role in the lobbying campaign to US officials, Adib wrote, and failed to disclose \u201cthat he was simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with the government of Qatar\u201d.<\/p>\n

The FBI said Allen gave a \u201cfalse version of events\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Allen declined to comment on the new filings. He has previously denied ever working as a Qatari agent and said his efforts on Qatar in 2017 were motivated to prevent a war from breaking out in the Gulf that would put US troops at risk.<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s spokesperson Beau Phillips told The Associated Press last week that Allen \u201cvoluntarily cooperated with the government\u2019s investigation into this matter\u201d and that he had \u201cnot received a fee for his efforts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Financial incentives
\nIn June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries announced a diplomatic and economic blockade of Qatar over what they claimed were ties to \u201cterror\u201d groups and other issues.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the blockade was announced, then-President Donald Trump appeared to side against Qatar.<\/p>\n

The court papers said Allen played an important role in shifting the US\u2019s response.<\/p>\n

Specifically, authorities said Allen lobbied then-National Security Adviser HR McMaster to have the Trump administration adopt a more Qatar-friendly tone.<\/p>\n

In an email to McMaster, Allen said the Qataris wanted the White House or US Department of State to issue a statement with language calling on all sides of the Gulf diplomatic crisis to \u201cact with restraint\u201d.<\/p>\n

Federal law enforcement officials have said then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did just that two days later, issuing a statement that called on other Gulf countries to \u201cease the blockade against Qatar\u201d and asked \u201cthat there be no further escalation by the parties in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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