<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1655140888549,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000168-ed8c-d9d9-a9ec-ffac26f80002","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1655140888549,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000168-ed8c-d9d9-a9ec-ffac26f80002","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_55134316", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1031651"} }); ","_id":"00000181-5e15-d590-a5f1-deb7a93d0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedA retired four-star general under investigation for alleged secret lobbying on behalf of Qatar has quietly been placed on a leave of absence from a Department of Homeland Security advisory council.
Former Marine Gen. John Allen, who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was put on leave effective last Friday after court filings revealed the FBI had seized his electronic data earlier this year, according to a DHS official. However, he has not been permanently removed from his position.
RETIRED GENERAL INVESTIGATED FOR QATAR LOBBYING
Allen also resigned from being president of the left-leaning Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution think tank on Sunday.
Court records from April indicate the FBI is investigating Allen related to alleged lobbying for the government of Qatar and related to the possibility that he may have misled the FBI or obstructed justice.
Allen is listed as one of 36 members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the appointment of 33 new members, including Allen, to the council in March, saying: “These distinguished leaders have agreed to serve our country as members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council at a critically important time not only for the nation but also for the world.
“Today, we met with the newly reconstituted Homeland Security Advisory Council — an incredible group of national leaders of diverse backgrounds and experience,” he said. “They contributed vision, strategies, and insights to advance DHS today and into the future. We are inspired and grateful.”
Mayorkas removed nearly every member of the Trump-era HSAC membership in March 2021.
DHS did not answer whether it was aware the FBI was investigating Allen when he was selected, when the DHS learned of it, what actions the DHS is now taking, and whether Allen will remain on the council. The department did not say whether it was investigating Allen or what the scope of that might be.
HSAC meeting minutes indicate that Allen attended multiple HSAC meetings, including during the time frame the FBI was investigating him, but the DHS did not answer questions about what those meetings covered, what information Allen received during those meetings, or whether he was briefed on any classified information.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) released internal documents from DHS’s “Disinformation Governance Board,” which they argued showed Mayorkas had misled the Senate about the scope and purpose of the board.
The board was at least temporarily put on hold following the controversy surrounding director Nina Jankowicz, who later resigned. She had immediately cast doubt on the Hunter Biden laptop story, touted British ex-spy Christopher Steele as a disinformation expert, downplayed Iranian election meddling aimed at hurting former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, critiqued the media’s promotion of the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis, pushed debunked claims of Trump-Russia collusion, and more.
Mayorkas announced last month that the board’s work was being paused pending a review by certain members of the HSAC, though Allen does not appear to be one of them.
DHS released a fact sheet on May 2 saying the HSAC will “make recommendations for how the Department can most effectively and appropriately address disinformation that poses a threat to the homeland.” Mayorkas then directed the HSAC to “establish a subcommittee entitled Assessment of Disinformation Best Practices and Safeguards” on May 18, and the “Disinformation Best Practices and Safeguards Subcommittee” has since begun its work.
Allen is part of a larger FBI investigation that has entangled Richard Olson, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan who pleaded guilty last week on federal charges that include improperly helping Qatar influence U.S. policy in 2017. Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist and campaign fundraiser who worked to gain influence with prominent Republicans and Democrats, including Trump and President Joe Biden, is also ensnared in the Qatar lobbying effort. Zuberi was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 for illegal donations and foreign agent lobbying schemes.
The new court filings allege that Allen attempted to help Qatar influence policy in 2017, a time when a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors erupted.
FBI agent Babak Adib wrote in a search warrant application that “there is substantial evidence that these FARA violations were willful,” referring to possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires that anyone lobbying for a foreign government register with the Justice Department.
The FBI agent wrote that Allen gave a “false version of events” regarding his role to U.S. officials and didn’t disclose “that he was simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with the government of Qatar.”
Strobe Talbott, the prior president of Brookings, confirmed in 2014 that Qatar made a three-year pledge at the time for $14.8 million to support two projects at the think tank: the project on U.S. relations with the Islamic World and the Brookings Doha Center.
Brookings announced in September 2021, during Allen’s presidency, that “after 14 years of impactful partnership, Brookings and the Brookings Doha Center announced that they were ending their affiliation.”
Allen endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July 2016, and a few days later, he delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention.
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He was named the new president of Brookings in October 2017 and took over in November 2017, a few months after the alleged Qatari lobbying scheme.
In a Sunday letter obtained by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Allen wrote, “I request that Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution accept my resignation from the presidency of the institution,” adding, “While I leave the institution with a heavy heart, I know it is best for all concerned in this moment.”
