Two Republican lawmakers on Monday claimed to have discovered why President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, was suspended.
Murray was suspended without pay pending a federal investigation, and his security clearance was revoked in June 2023 with little explanation as to why. Republican Idaho Sen. James Risch and Texas Rep. Mike McCaul sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, citing that Murray “allegedly forwarded classified documents to the Secretary of State.” “It was revealed through our own investigation” that he had been placed on leave following an investigation, the statement said. I created a personal email account for her and downloaded these documents to my personal cell phone. ” according to In the Washington Post. (Related article: Suspended senior Biden official, once expelled for talks with Hamas, hired by Yale University to teach Israeli-Palestinian course)
“While it is unclear who he intended to provide these documents to, we believe that hostile cyber attackers were able to access his email and phone and obtain the information that was downloaded.” are writing.
Newspaper with cover photo of U.S. Special Representative to Iran Robert Malley, November 29, 2021, Tehran, Iran. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters Note Editor – This image was provided by a third party. .
In their letter, McCaul and Risch state how many classified documents Murray was handling, whether he tried to send them to another party, and whether he was a “malicious cyber actor” such as the Iranian regime. Mr. Blinken was asked to answer a series of questions about the findings, including whether he — whether he had access to his cell phone and whether he had been previously warned by the State Department about handling classified material.
“The allegations we are aware of are deeply disturbing and demand immediate answers,” McCaul and Risch said in a letter to Blinken. “These allegations have a serious impact on national security, and the people should be held swiftly and forcefully accountable. We look forward to your immediate response.”
Mr. Marley remains on unpaid leave but has not been fired from his position. He has personally identified allies and aides who were found last year to be members of the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), an influence program that seeks to recruit Western academics and researchers to further Iran’s reputation and goals. It has become the subject of intense scrutiny as it has continued to stay on track. A world stage. One of his IEI members was a senior Department of Defense official as of October 2023.
Mr. Murray also previously served as CEO of the International Crisis Group (ICG), a global non-governmental organization. organization, was associated with this organization for almost 20 years, from 2018 to 2021. ICG signed a “memorandum of understanding” with an Iran-based think tank in 2016, but the relationship did not appear to have been disclosed to Congress.
Although Marie has not yet faced legal punishment, others who have committed similar acts have faced even more severe retaliation. Jack Teixeira of the Air National Guard gained access to classified information in 2023 and published it on the social media platform Discord.He was arrested later that year and took a plea. agreement He will be sentenced to 16 years in prison in March 2024.
The State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
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