WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2023) House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting a briefing on matters related to US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley, who was reportedly placed on unpaid leave amid an investigation into his handling of classified information.
Although Malley is under investigation by the FBI and has reportedly had his security clearance revoked, the State Department has failed to provide lawmakers with substantive information on the situation, the letter, dated Thursday but released Friday, said.
"As a senior Department official charged with a highly sensitive role, Special Envoy Malley enjoyed access to critical intelligence and numerous senior State Department, Executive Branch, and foreign officials. It is alarming that the Department chooses to withhold even the most basic of details from Congress, such as the timeline of Special Envoy Malley's leave, clearance status, accesses, and foreign contacts," the letter said.
The letter requests arrangements for a classified briefing with two State Department officials no later than July 17. The committee is prepared to compel the appearance of requested witnesses should they refuse to cooperate, the letter added.
The committee will not tolerate obstruction of its oversight into a national security matter, the letter said.
The State Department on Friday transferred its official Special Envoy for Iran Twitter account to Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley.
"The Office of the Special Envoy for Iran and the entire team at the State Department remain engaged in implementing our policy in Iran," Paley said in a tweet on Friday, with many replies asking about Malley's whereabouts.
The Special Envoy for Iran page on the State Department's website only includes its mission statement, although Malley's personal biography is still on the site.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has sought Malley's testimony on Iran policy for months, the letter said. However, the State Department has cited personal leave as cause for Malley's unavailability, and never informed lawmakers about his security clearance being suspended.
The lawmaker also expressed concerns to Blinken that the State Department may have misled Congress and the public about the situation, according to the letter.
