US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has demanded more information from the White House about the status of US Iran envoy Rob Malley.
Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said the Biden administration owed Congress a full explanation for the suspension of envoy Rob Malley’s clearance and his being placed on unpaid leave.
Malley said Thursday that he was on leave from the Biden administration due to a review of his security clearance.
“Media reports indicate that Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, was placed on unpaid leave after his security clearance was suspended earlier this year amidst an investigation into potential mishandling of classified documents,” the HFAC chairman wrote. “These reports raise serious concerns both regarding Malley’s conduct and whether the State Department misled Congress and the American public.”
Malley had been conspicuously absent from a Congressional briefing in May and the State Department had said that he was on personal leave due to the illness of a family member. The question remains as to why the administration did not tell the truth to Congress about his security clearance issue.
Malley’s deputy Abram Paley has already been appointed as acting Iran envoy by the State Department.
