A former U.S. ambassador is in hot water after charges were filed accusing him of illegal lobbying for a foreign government. Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates Richard Olson has been arrested for alleged misconduct while lobbying for the Qatari government. Authorities accuse Olson of using his position to broker arrangements for himself after his tenure as ambassador. His alleged actions would break multiple “revolving door” regulations – stipulations against lobbying on behalf of the same group one did business with on behalf of the nation. Revolving door regulations exist to keep government employees from compromising their work. Olson filed court documents earlier this month stating that he will be pleading guilty to the charges. “I, Richard Gustav Olson, have consented to the filing of an information in the above-designated case,” Olson wrote. “I wish to plead guilty to the offenses charged, to waive trial in the Central District of California, and to dispose of the case in the District of Columbia in which I am present.” (https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-us-ambassador-accused-illegal-lobbying-qatari-government) Qatar remains a tense ally of the U.S. due in no small part to the increasingly unstable situation in Ukraine and the resulting price spikes for gas.
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