The president of the Brookings Institution resigned Sunday amid a federal investigation into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.
Retired Gen. John Allen wrote in a letter to the think tank that he was leaving with a “heavy heart” but did not offer a direct explanation.
“I know it is best for all concerned in this moment,” Allen’s letter said.
A retired four-star Marine general who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Allen’s announcement came less than a week after the Associated Press was first to report on new court filings that showed the FBI had seized Allen’s electronic data as part of the lobbying probe.