State Dep. Says Will Respond To Congressional Letter Over Envoy Malley

The US State Department said Monday that they will be engaging with the office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman regarding his letter about US Iran envoy being under investigation.

Iran International first reported June 29 that special envoy Rob Malley has been absent for a considerable time, his security clearance has been suspended and he is under investigation related to his handling of classified documents. Later it was revealed that he is on unpaid leave and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is involved in the investigation.

Following the initial reports committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tx) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and demanded answers as to why the State Department had not informed Congress directly and clarification on Malley’s case.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in his press briefing confirmed the receipt of McCaul’s letter and said, “We take our oversight obligation extremely seriously, we obviously got the letter from the Chairman, and we’ve been reviewing it and we will be engaging with his office on the matter.”

McCaul in his letter set a deadline of Tuesday, July 11 at 5:00 pm for a response from the State Department.

“These reports raise serious concerns both regarding Malley’s conduct and whether the State Department misled Congress and the American public,” McCaul wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) also tweeted on the matter June 30, raising a series of questions. “When did the investigation that led to the suspension of Malley’s clearance begin?”, asked Sen Hagerty, and added, “When were Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden informed of it?”