Criminal Justice & the Rule of Law

Former U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson Pleads Guilty to Illegal Foreign Lobbying

Hadley Baker
Monday, May 2, 2022, 12:27 PM

Published by The Lawfare Institute
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In a court filing last month, former U.S. Amb. Richard Olson said he will plead guilty to illegal lobbying and failing to disclose gifts he received when he held that position. In late March, the Justice Department charged the former ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates with making false statements in ethics documents about the gifts he received—including first class plane tickets and stays at hotels—as well as illegally lobbying for the government of Qatar. The filings state that the gifts, as well as monthly payments of $20,000, were paid to Olson by an unnamed Pakistani American lobbyist associated with a Qatari official. You can read the complaint here and below.


Hadley Baker was an Assistant Editor of Lawfare. She is a recent graduate from the University of St Andrews, studying English literature and Spanish. She was previously an intern at Lawfare.

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