Brookings president John Allen resigns amid FBI probe

Former Marine Gen. John Allen, the president of the prestigious Brookings Institution, resigned from his post on Sunday amid a federal investigation into his role in a foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar, Axios has confirmed.

Why it matters: Allen was placed on leave by the Brookings Institution last week after the FBI reportedly seized his electronic data for the probe.

• In an affidavit supporting the search warrant to claim Allen's data, the FBI alleged that there is "substantial evidence" to suggest Allen knowingly broke foreign lobbying laws.

What they're saying: "While I leave the institution with a heavy heart, I know it is best for all concerned in this moment," Allen wrote in his resignation letter, Politico reported.

• "We want to thank John for his contributions to Brookings, including his leadership in successfully guiding the institution during the pandemic, as well as his many years of service and sacrifice for our country," Glenn Hutchins and Suzanne Nora Johnson, co-chairs of the Brookings Board of Trustees, wrote in an email to staff Sunday afternoon confirming Allen's resignation.
• "The integrity and objectivity of Brookings’ 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," they added.
• "We look forward to working with the entire Brookings community and stakeholders to continue our over one-hundred-year tradition of conducting in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national, and global levels."