FBI investigates retired US General John R. Allen for undisclosed Qatar lobbying News
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FBI investigates retired US General John R. Allen for undisclosed Qatar lobbying

An FBI warrant application was released Tuesday revealing a criminal investigation into whether former US Marine Corps General John R. Allen engaged in undisclosed lobbying for Qatar, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press and New York Times.

In April, the FBI submitted a search warrant application with the US District Court for the Central District of California, seeking evidence that Allen lobbied on behalf of Qatar while failing to register as a foreign agent. The search warrant stated that Allen “failed to produce emails pertaining to the Qatar lobbying effort that were produced to the government from other sources, including documents in which Allen solicited a ‘speaking engagement’ fee and other compensation for the lobbying effort.” The FBI also alleged that Allen offered “a false version of events” during an interview with government officials in August 2020 concerning his lobbying activities.

The FBI seized General Allen’s electronic data in April pursuant to the warrant application, requiring Apple to disclose the contents of Allen’s iCloud account.

This investigation into Allen is an is connected with an investigation into former US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan Richard G. Olson, who pleaded guilty to undisclosed lobbying last week.