Richard G. Olsen, the former United States (US) ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been charged for not disclosing that he tried to influence US foreign policy on behalf of Qatar. Olsen said in court filings earlier this month that he plans to plead guilty.
Prosecutors accuse Olson, who served as ambassador under former President Barack Obama, of using his political influence to lobby for Qatar in Washington after leaving office. According to US law, former federal officials are prevented from foreign lobbying.
Furthermore, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged Olson with making false statements in his ethics paperwork.
Prosecutors allege that after retiring in 2016, Olsen worked with high-level Qatari government officials to advance Qatar’s interests in the US. For instance, the DoJ says that during the 2017 spat between Qatar and Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia, Olson lobbied US government officials to support Qatar.
Prosectors say Richard Olson received $20k/month from an unnamed Pakistani-American lobbyist for the work — work they agreed on "either just prior to, or shortly after" he left government service. https://t.co/gdA4Npjuxj
— Axios (@axios) April 27, 2022
Olson also personally contacted the US ambassador to Doha at the time and several sitting members of the House of Representatives as part of his lobbying efforts, prosecutors say.
Furthermore, they accuse Olson of not disclosing financial benefits he received from Pakistani American businessman Imaad Zuberi, who worked on behalf of the Qatari government to spread its influence in Washington. Zuberi is now serving a 12-year jail term for running an illegal campaign in the US to contribute funds to politicians in both the Republican and Democratic parties.
According to court records, Zuberi, Olson, and a Marine Corps general travelled to Doha immediately following the 2017 Gulf crisis and discussed ways to get the US to support Qatar. Prosecutors say that the trio met with several US congressmen “for the purpose of convincing [them] to support Qatar rather than its regional rivals in the Gulf Diplomatic Crisis.”
The documents also show that Olson and Zuberi worked together to win Washington’s approval for the pre-clearance facilities at the Doha airport. Having such a facility would give Qatar’s airlines major advantages in operating flights to the US.
It also states that since 2016, Olson received a monthly payment of $20,000 per month from Zuberi for his work.
The New York Times reported that Gulf countries, especially the UAE and Qatar, have “poured money” into US companies and research groups in an effort to influence US policy. For instance, in 2013, Qatar made a $14.8 billion contribution to the Washington-based think-tank Brookings Institution that helped its affiliate in Doha undertake a project on US relations with Islamic countries.
Olson, a career diplomat, received numerous awards during his time as a Foreign Service Officer. Former Secretary of State John Kerry said in 2016 that Olson was one of the US’ “most distinguished diplomats […] who has been on the forefront of our work in the Middle East, Africa and most recently in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”