General John R. Allen has resigned as president of the Brookings Institution after being accused of lying and obstructing an FBI investigation into an illegal lobbying campaign for Qatar.
The retired four-star Marine, who became president of Brookings in 2017, said in his resignation letter that he was leaving the research institute with a “heavy heart”, according to Responsible Statecraft.
“I know it’s best for everyone involved at the moment,” he said in his resignation letter, received and published by the Quincy Institute’s online journal, which advocates diplomacy and military restraint.
The departure comes after he was released from Brookings on Wednesday after explosive allegations that he made false statements and withheld “incriminating” FBI documents during his investigation into whether he worked behind the scenes to influence foreign policy. The United States in favor of the small Persian Gulf country, according to court documents.
His electronic data was seized by the FBI as part of the investigation.
Allen allegedly lobbied U.S. officials to help Qatar in 2017 during a diplomatic crisis between the monarchy and its neighbors while “simultaneously pursuing multimillion-dollar business deals with the Qatari government” in violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act. [FARA]FBI agent Babak Adib wrote in a search warrant received from the Associated Press.
The FBI says Allen gave a “fake version of events” about his work for Qatar during an interview with law enforcement officials in 2020 and failed to provide relevant emails in response to an earlier summons from the grand jury. .
Alan denied being an agent of Qatar, and his spokesman said the former general had “voluntarily cooperated with the government’s investigation into the matter”.
“Gen. “Allen has not done anything illegal or illegal, he has never acted as an agent of Qatar or a foreign government or principal, and he has never obstructed justice,” spokesman Bo Phillips told Fox News Digital. “Through decades of public service in battle and diplomacy, General Allen has earned an incomparable, impeccable reputation for honor and integrity.
The Brookings Institution, an influential think tank, recently stopped receiving funding from Qatar after the rich country became one of Brookings’ main financial backers.
Allen, the former commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was released on June 8 by Brookings. The institution said that “the integrity and objectivity of Brookings scientists and their research are the main assets of the institution.”
“Brookings was not the subject of a federal investigation into Alan’s personal trip to Qatar in 2017, before becoming president of the institution. Brookings has not received any funding from the Qatari government, the agency said in a statement, announcing that Allen had been released. “Brookings has received funding from Qatar in the past to support research and event operations. In early 2019, Brookings decided not to renew funding from the country and would close its Brookings Doha Center, established in 2007. The decision to close the Brookings Doha Center was at the same time as the decision to transfer all Brookings’ foreign centers.
In an email to staff on Sunday, Brookings co-chairs Glen Hutchins and Susanne Nora Johnson said senior economic counterpart Ted Geier would be acting president.
Allen was grateful for his “leadership in the successful leadership of the institution during the pandemic, as well as for his long service and self-sacrifice for our country,” the note said.
Allen’s resignation letter from Responsible Statecraft does not directly address the allegations, but he notes his service to the United States.
“I have spent forty-five years in the service of the American people and the United States, serving our country and our precious citizens in peace, crisis, and war,” he wrote. “I did it with the greatest sense of humility and pride that I was part of something bigger than me.”
With postal wires.
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