The New York Times, of all people, reported in June 2022 that “Federal prosecutors have obtained records indicating that John R. Allen, the retired four-star Marine general who commanded all American troops in Afghanistan and now heads a venerable Washington think tank, secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar, lied to investigators about his role and tried to withhold evidence sought by a federal subpoena, according to court documents.”
But Allen is a certified hard-Left internationalist member of the club. You didn’t really think he would pay any penalty, did you?
“Feds drop lobbying probe of retired general, lawyer says,” by Alan Suderman and Jim Mustian, Associated Press, January 31, 2023:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has dropped its probe of retired four-star Gen. John Allen for his role in an alleged illegal foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, his lawyer told The Associated Press.
Attorney David Schertler said in a statement Tuesday that the Justice Department had informed him that it was closing its investigation of Allen and no charges would be filed. The Justice Department declined to comment but a law enforcement official familiar with the inquiry who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly confirmed the decision on condition of anonymity.
The AP first reported last June that the FBI had outlined a potential criminal case against Allen in a confidential search warrant application that appeared to have been filed in error on a federal courts website. Days later, the former Marine general who oversaw U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan resigned as head of the influential Brookings Institution think tank.
Schertler said it was “deeply unfortunate” and “unfair” that the public release of the FBI’s confidential document had damaged Allen’s reputation and livelihood. A Brookings spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 77-page document detailed Allen’s behind-the scenes efforts to help Qatar influence U.S. policy in June 2017 when a diplomatic crisis erupted between the gas-rich monarchy and its neighbors. That included traveling to Doha to advise top Qatari officials and then lobbying U.S. officials, the FBI said.
An FBI agent said in an affidavit in support of a search warrant there was “substantial evidence” that Allen had knowingly broken foreign lobbying laws, and had made false statements and withheld “incriminating” documents.
Allen denied any wrongdoing, saying his involvement with Qatar was meant to help benefit the United States….
Qatar has spent lavishly on its influence efforts in the U.S. and Europe. The country is allegedly behind a massive cash-for-favors corruption scandal currently unfolding at the European Union’s parliament.
