The list of "'clients,' as they were apparently often called" included the government of Malaysia, which was thought to have given millions of dollars in contributions.

The abuse of non-profit status was heavily discussed in the lead-up to Paal's nomination as director of AIT, and helped to delay his appointment.

[4] Prior to his service on the National Security Council, Paal worked on the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Staff and at the U.S. Embassies in Singapore and Beijing.

He served as a U.S. Navy officer in Vietnam and studied Japanese in Tokyo, after graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees in Chinese Studies and Asian History from Brown University and a PhD in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University.

They have two daughters, Alice, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania, and Victoria, a lawyer in San Francisco.