Following a scandal over his alleged lobbying activities for Qatar, retired Marine General John Allen resigned as president of the Brookings Institution on Sunday.
The Brookings Institution, which had been under Allen's leadership since November 2017, had initially placed the military general under a paid administrative leave a day after the Associated Press reported that his electronic data had been seized by the FBI as part of an ongoing investigation.
Addressing his departure, Allen noted in his resignation letter: "While I leave the institution with a heavy heart, I know it is best for all concerned in this moment."
An FBI affidavit - which the Associated Press first reported last Wednesday - details the comprehensive US investigation into Qatar's purported efforts to influence Washington under the Trump administration, when the country's rivalry with its neighbors was just getting started.
Authorities allege that Allen made false statements and had effectively withheld incriminating documents that laid out the role he played in the Qatari lobbying effort.
In the wake of the FBI probe, a spokesperson for Allen earlier rejected the findings, saying last week that the affidavit was "factually inaccurate, incomplete, and misleading." The spokesperson further claimed the retired general had willingly cooperated with the government's probe, and that his attempts to defend US interests in Qatar were voluntary.
For its part, the Washington-based think tank thanked Allen in a Sunday statement for his "leadership in successfully guiding the institution during the pandemic, as well as his many years of service and sacrifice for our country."
"The integrity and objectivity of Brookings’s scholarship constitute the institution’s principal assets and Brookings seeks to maintain high ethical standards in all its operations. Our policies on research independence and integrity reflect these values," the think tank said in the statement.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in an email sent last week to the "Brookings Community" by the co-chairs of the organization's board of trustees, officials acknowledged Allen flew to Qatar on a personal trip before taking up his Brookings role, and that the institution was not under investigation by the FBI.
"Brookings has strong policies in place to prohibit donors from directing research activities," the email read.
The current investigation is said to be a part of a larger probe that includes Richard G. Olson, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan who pleaded guilty to federal charges, and Imaad Zuberi - a well-known political fundraiser who is serving a 12-year term for corruption. As part of the probe, many members of Congress have been questioned.
During the Obama administration, Allen served as the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan. After 35 years in the service, he retired in 2013. At the same time, the US Central Command, which controls US activities in the Middle East, has its headquarters in Qatar, which aided operations in Afghanistan and the Gulf.
According to the Brookings' statement, Ted Gayer will continue to serve as interim president until later this summer."Information about arrangements for ongoing interim management—as well as the search for a new president—will be forthcoming," it added.