Republican lawmakers have revealed “troubling allegations” against Robert Malley, President Biden’s embattled special envoy for Iran. He allegedly stored his confidential material on his personal email account and mobile phone, which was later accessed by “hostile cyber attackers.”
Republican leaders on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to the State Department on Monday asking for confirmation of the findings against Mr. Murray. He was placed on unpaid leave last June and had his security clearance suspended amid an investigation by the State Department. It is suspected that he mishandled confidential documents.
The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, was addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and follows an investigation launched by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member James Risch (R-Idaho) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It contained several allegations against Mr. Marley that originated from the incident. Issues Chairman Michael McCall, R-Texas.
“We remain deeply dissatisfied with the department’s failure to respond to requests for information necessary to provide adequate oversight,” the lawmakers told Blinken in a letter first reported by the Washington Post. “I’m embracing it,” he said. “Due to the Department’s evasions and lack of transparency, we have sought to gather information from other sources. Our own investigation uncovered the following information and troubling allegations. Please confirm the information we have learned.
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Robert Murray, who was placed on unpaid leave last June and had his security clearance suspended during a State Department investigation, will speak in Rome on November 30, 2017. (Ricardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The two Republican senators added, “Specifically, Mr. Murray’s security clearance for classified documents is suspended because he is suspected of forwarding them to a personal email account and downloading them onto his personal cell phone.” We understand that it is unclear who he intended to provide these documents to.” However, it is believed that hostile cyber attackers were able to access the emails and phones and obtain the downloaded information. ”
Republican lawmakers also asked Blinken for additional information about the exact reasons for Murray’s suspension and the level of secrecy of documents stored on his personal devices and accounts that were allegedly hacked. .
Among many questions, Republicans asked Blinken whether Murray sent classified information to individuals who lacked security clearance and who the alleged cyber attackers were. whether they belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRCG), Iranian military, or intelligence services.
Lawmakers also asked for information about how Malley’s personal email and cell phone were hacked and whether the Biden administration plans to allow Malley back to the State Department.
“The allegations we are aware of are extremely troubling and demand immediate answers,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Blinken. “These allegations have serious national security implications, and people should be held swiftly and forcefully to account.”
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Robert Murray testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 25, 2022 at the U.S. Capitol. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
president biden The country approached Marley in January 2021 to try to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Under the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program to make it harder to obtain nuclear weapons in exchange for economic sanctions relief. In 2018, President Trump chose to abandon the agreement and reimpose sanctions on Iran.
Mr. Malley resigned from his State Department position just before Iran released five Americans to house arrest as part of a deal that ultimately saw the country withdraw from Iran and unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds held in South Korea. I resigned.
Mr Murray acknowledged last June that his permit was under review, but said he was confident of a positive outcome.
“I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. No further information has been provided, but I am hopeful that the investigation will be resolved favorably soon. In the meantime, I I’m on vacation,” Murray told Fox News. time.
“While on leave from the State Department, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the next generation of civil servants,” Murray said in a statement. She “looks forward to her time at Princeton and eventually returning to public service.”
President Biden nominated Robert Malley in January 2021 to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. (Maxim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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A State Department spokesperson confirmed to the New York Post on Tuesday that Malley remains on leave and that the State Department has provided Congress with information about personnel investigations related to Iran policy. However, the spokesperson did not comment on the allegations made in the letter from Mr. Risch and Mr. McCall to Mr. Blinken.
