Gen John Allen gave a ‘false version of events’ about his work for Gulf state in 2020 interview, court documents allege
The FBI has seized electronic data from a retired four-star general who authorities say made false statements and withheld “incriminating” documents about his role in an illegal foreign lobbying campaign on behalf ofNew federal court filings obtained on Tuesday outlined a potential criminal case against former Marine Gen John R Allen, who led US and Nato forces in Afghanistan before heading the Brookings Institution thinktank.
The FBI says Allen gave a “false version of events” about his work for Qatar in a 2020 interview with law enforcement officials and failed to produce relevant emails in response to an earlier grand jury subpoena. Allen, a senior fellow at Brookings before becoming president, used his official email account at the thinktank for some Qatar-related communications, the affidavit says.
Federal law enforcement officials say the then secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, did just that two days later, issuing a statement that called on other Gulf countries to “ease the blockade against Qatar” and asked “that there be no further escalation by the parties in the region”.As part of the lobbying campaign, federal law enforcement authorities say, Olson and Allen traveled to Qatar to meet the emir and other top officials.