Retired U.S. general John Allen secretly lobbied for Qatar and lied to federal agents about his role

According to court documents, John R. Allen secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar, lied to investigators about his role, and attempted to withhold evidence sought by a federal subpoena. The documents were submitted in April as part of an application for a search warrant to search General Allen’s electronic communications.

John R. Allen is a retired four-star Marine General who led US troops in Afghanistan.

Other filings in the case appear to be sealed, and the warrant’s public release may have been unintentional. According to a spokesman for General Allen, he voluntarily assisted the government’s investigation.

There is no evidence that General Allen ever registered to lobby for Qatar. The plan came to fruition shortly after Trump left the military and began his presidency five years ago.

A court document details how General Allen was recruited to meet with top Qatari and American officials in order to resolve the Gulf crisis. According to the document, General Allen agreed to travel to Doha, Qatar’s capital, at Mr. Zuberi’s expense and negotiated a $20,000 “speaker’s fee.”

General Allen also pursued other business with Qatar-affiliated firms, one of which would have paid him a commission of more than $1 million.