Americans working for the federal government who also receive money — or emoluments — from foreign powers became an issue for the first time in years under President Donald Trump when he and some in his administration were accused of violating the rules. Retired military personnel are subject to the same rules — though these former troops receive little scrutiny. The Washington Post wanted to know: To what extent are they seeking work from foreign governments? The Post sued the armed forces and the State Department to obtain the records on foreign jobs sought by military personnel, including the type of work, compensation and countries involved. So far, The Post has obtained more than 4,000 pages of documents, including case files for about 450 retired soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. More than 500 retired U.S. military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have taken jobs as contractors and consultants for foreign governments since 2015, cashing in on their military expertise and political clout. And, over the past seven years, 280 military retirees have sought federal authorization to work for the United Arab Emirates — far more than for any other country. Among them: retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, who was a military adviser to the UAE before he became defense secretary in the Trump administration, the documents show. Read more from the investigation through the link in our bio.