WASHINGTON: The court documents in the case against former US Ambassador Richard G. Olson highlight a complex lobbying

mechanism in Washington, which is oiled by foreign money, and works 24/7 to influence US officials and lawmakers on behalf of foreign governments.

This lobbying is legal if the lobbyists register themselves with the US Justice Department as foreign agents and meet other legal requirements. The main charge against Mr Olson is that of “aiding and assisting a foreign government with intent to influence” Washington without completing the mandatory post-retirement period, as court documents seen by Dawn show.

Olson was US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan and US Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan, retiring on Nov 30, 2016.

A document filed in the US District Court on March 22, 2022 shows that after his retirement, Olson created an entity called Medicine Bear International Consulting, LLC. The other main character in this case is Imaad Zuberi, a naturalised US citizen born in Pakistan, who is identified throughout the document as Person 1. Zuberi is now serving a 12-year federal prison sentence for illegal campaign donations and tax crimes.

According to the court document, Mr Zuberi operated various informal and formal business entities collectively referred to as Person 1’s Company.

The document claims that as part of his business operations, Zuberi was retained by various foreign governments and individuals to engage “in lobbying and public relations efforts.”

The document also alleged that Zuberi received funds from foreign clients, used those funds to “make political campaign contributions to US politicians, parlayed those contributions into political influence in the US, and lobbied US officials on behalf of his foreign clients.”

In March 2013, Zuberi met Ambassador Olson in Islamabad and from March 2013 through November 2016, he solicited Olson’s advice and assistance in his capacity as Ambassador on a variety of business matters.

In November or December 2016, either just prior to, or shortly after, Olson’s retirement, Zuberi agreed to retain his services for $20,000 per month plus expenses.

The document mentions “revolving door” prohibitions that forbid US government officials from representing foreign entities, including through any behind-the-scenes consulting, during a one- year “cooling off” period.

The document claims that Mr Olson was aware of the prohibition and understood that it applied to him, yet he assisted foreign governments in expanding their influence in the United States.

The document claims that while employed by the US Federal Government, Olson received over $18,000 in travel expenses from Zuberi to attend a job interview with a businessperson in London,

On Jan 15, 2015, Olson, who was still serving as US Ambassador to Pakistan, met Zuberi in Los Angeles and discussed the possibility of working for a citizen of Bahrain, who is only identified as Businessperson 2.

On Jan 23, 2015, Olson agreed to meet Zuberi and the Bahraini businessperson in London on January 31.

On Jan 27, 2015, Zuberi procured Olson’s first-class airfare from New Mexico, via Los Angeles, to London. He paid for the trip with a combination of credit card expenditures and approximately 330,000 frequent flyer miles. In total, the airfare was worth approximately $18,829.

Zuberi also paid for his and Olson’s stay at a luxury hotel in London at a combined cost of approximately $2,298 and for a dinner in London for Olson, the Bahraini business person and another individual. The dinner cost approximately $589.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2023