US House Committee Issues Ultimatum Over Malley's Mess

Iran International Newsroom
Chairman of House foreign affairs committee Michael McCaul
Chairman of House foreign affairs committee Michael McCaul

The US House of Representatives foreign affairs committee has issued an ultimatum to the State Department to come clean about the suspension of its Iran envoy Rob Malley. 

The chairman of the committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) wrote his second letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken – as he had vowed to do if he did not get answers – on Thursday with stronger words and a call to immediate action: a classified briefing and testimony. 

McCaul referred to his earlier letter of June 30 to Blinken seeking "a full and transparent accounting" about why Malley was suspended and was under investigation. The Senior Republican lawmaker slammed the response he received this week as "absolutely unacceptable" because the department refrained from providing any information. 

In the new letter, McCaul asserted that “the Committee expects prompt and full compliance with its requests, and it will not tolerate obstruction of its oversight of this national security matter.” 

As an initial next step, he asked Blinken to make arrangements “no later than 5:00 pm Monday, July 17 for a classified briefing on or before Wednesday, July 26,” threatening that “If you fail to make such arrangements in a timely manner, I am prepared to request testimony on this matter in a classified hearing and to compel the appearance of requested witnesses should they refuse to appear voluntarily.”

To ensure compliance by the State Department, he referred to the US Constitution, saying, "The Department of State shall keep the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and responsibilities within the jurisdiction of these committees.”

“Any Federal department, agency, or independent establishment shall furnish any information requested by either such committee relating to any such activity or responsibility," he added. 

Earlier on Thursday, a group of 18 Republican senators called for a probe into the murky circumstances surrounding the State Department’s handling of Malley’s security clearance investigation. 

Spearheaded by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), the group sent a letter to Diana Shaw, the acting inspector general of the Department of State, outlining specific questions that must be answered “no later than Friday, July 21, 2023.” 

Congress was kept in the dark about Malley having been suspended at least since early May and was only informed about it when his replacement was announced. Malley’s suspension was first reported by Iran International June 29, and formally announced the following day by Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US State Department, calling it "a leave of absence”, adding that his duties would be temporarily assumed by his deputy, Abram Paley. However, it is believed he had been suspended as early as April.

Capitol Hill Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s unwillingness to share information about the issue. Adding insult to injury, an article by Tehran Times, a publication controlled by the Iranian regime, provided astonishing details about Malley's situation. This has led to concerns that the Iranian government knows more about the issue than US lawmakers.