Former top US diplomat sentenced in Qatar lobbying scheme

A former top US ambassador was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a USD 93350 fine Friday for improperly helping a wealthy Persian Gulf country influence US policy and for not disclosing gifts he received from a disgraced political fundraiserRichard G Olson the State Departments special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the end of the Obama administration pleaded guilty last year to illegally providing aid and advice to Qatar while working for Imaad Zuberi a once prolific political donor who is serving a 12year prison sentence for tax evasion campaign finance violations and failing to register as a foreign agentOlson is one of the most highprofile former government officials to face prosecution amid the Justice Departments push in recent years to crack down on unreported or illegal influence campaigns funded by foreign governments seeking to alter US policy US Magistrate Judge G Michael Harvey said at the sentencing hearing that while a hefty fine was appropriate for Olsons misconduct he did not believe it warranted jail time Harvey told Olson the American public expected exemplary behavior from top diplomatsThat was not the way you operated Harvey said Olson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors that included a charge of violating a revolving door prohibition for certain highlevel government employees against aiding and advising a foreign country for one year after leaving public service Prosecutors and Olsons lawyers have spent the last few months arguing over the severity of his sentenceProsecutors said Olson tried to conceal his wrongdoing by deleting emails and lying to the FBI and had accepted firstclass travel from Zuberi while helping him lobby members of Congress to approve weapons sales to foreign countries Evan Turgeon a prosecutor in the Justice Departments national security division told the judge that Olson had refused to accept full responsibility for his wrongdoing and imprisonment was needed to send a message of deterrence to other highranking public officialsIf people are allowed to act like the rules dont apply to them they will Turgeon said Olsons lawyer said his client never did anything improper in his official capacity to help Zuberi and prosecutors were stretching facts to fit an unfair narrative In brief remarks before Harveys ruling a tearful Olson said he had already paid a heavy price and had been shunned socially and professionally I made a mistake and it has had enormous consequences Olson saidOlson is the only former government official associated with Zuberi to face any criminal charges despite prosecutors saying the former political donors case showed a pervasive corrupt foreign interference with our elections and policymaking processes They have alleged Zubari used illegal campaign contributions to gain access to top US officials which an Associated Press investigation found included thenVice President Joe BidenZubari got those meetings and many others with influential US officials and lawmakers thanks in part to an illegal straw donor scheme in which he paid for others donations prosecutors said The APs investigation found several instances where Zuberilinked donations to members of Congress occurred within a few weeks or even days of him receiving something in return To boost his profile Zuberi also donated to or hired several Washington advocacy groups lobbying shops and public relations firms He also hired former officials to assist him on business projectsThose officials included Olson former NATO supreme commander Gen Wesley Clark and former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Sandweg Prosecutors indicated earlier this year they had dropped a related investigation into retired fourstar Gen John Allen for his role in a behindthescenes effort to help Qatar shape US policy in 2017 Working with Zuberi and OIson Allen helped Qatari officials strategize on how to gain the upper hand in Washington when a diplomatic crisis erupted between the country and its neighbors according to an FBI affidavit in support of a search warrant to obtain records from Allen Olson and ZuberiPart of Allens advice was for Qatar to use the full spectrum of information operations including black or covert operations for its influence campaign the affidavit said The trio lobbied US officials after returning from their Doha meeting with Qatari officials the FBI said Qatar an energyrich Persian Gulf monarchy has spent lavishly on its influence efforts in the US Olson said Friday he was motivated to help Qatar because he believed it was in the best interest of the US He added that one of his greatest regrets was recruiting Allen into the effort because of the subsequent negative publicity Allen has denied any wrongdoing but stepped down as president of the Brookings Institution a prestigious Washington think tank amid the FBI investigationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no 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