Exclusive: Whistleblowers told Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson.
Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wisconsin, sent on the matter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Obama-Biden administration launched the Joint Plan of Action as a negotiation process for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, signed by then-President Obama in 2015. President Obama said the broader sanctions remain in place and that his administration “continues to…vigorously enforce them.”
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For decades, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the United States has imposed sanctions on “Iranian individuals, entities and organisations involved in nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, support for terrorist groups and human rights abuses.”
Then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of State John Kerry are seen here with President Barack Obama in 2016. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
However, Mr. Grassley and Mr. Johnson received classified and legally protected whistleblower information that stated that the Obama-Biden administration “increased the cost of Iranian disobedience to the international community, “While publicly pledging to ‘prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,’ it shows what the then-Iranian secretary of state has made clear.” John Kerry actively interfered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executing arrest warrants against individuals in the United States who illegally supported Iranian efforts, including financial efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and its ballistic missile program. . ”
The senators said the records show that the Justice Department and FBI leadership, including then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and then-FBI Director James Comey, were working to “stop Mr. Kelly from obstructing law enforcement.” This shows that the necessary measures were not taken.
One email (an unclassified FBI email dated August 25, 2017) details at least eight cases related to the Iran nuclear deal, stating that “the FBI/DOJ/US Government could have moved forward with the case, but the State Department chose to block it.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Sunday, June 11, assessed Iran’s nuclear achievements. (Iran Supreme Leader’s Office/WANA/Reuters)
In six of those cases, the FBI “lost the opportunity to apprehend the principal perpetrators,” records show.
The email states that one of the subjects the FBI was unable to arrest is “on a terrorist watch list,” and the other “has returned to Iran.”
The email also states that the State Department “thwarted” one planned FBI arrest while the subject was “in flight” and the subject was deported from the United States immediately upon arrival. ing.
John Kerry resigned as Biden’s climate envoy earlier this year. (Foreign Press Center)
The email also claims that at least two targets were “only arrested after the state lifted the block…” [Trump] A government was established. ”
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“These warnings regarding the failure to arrest known Iranian nationals subject to arrest warrants were made as early as 2015 and were allegedly made for political reasons,” Grassley wrote.
A July 2015 email indicates that “concerns were raised regarding a cease and desist order to arrest a criminal Iranian national.”
FBI official to LA field office FBI official, subject line: “HQ Support.”
The April 28, 2016 email states: “The State Department has primarily blocked FBI actions in its authorization or consent role, such as visa and kidnapping operations. We have prepared packages of several cases blocked by the State Department and have We have been working with the FBI/Department of Justice/State Department chain for months.”
The email also said that the Department of Justice was “somewhat surprised by this, as extradition is a ministerial function and not something that the Department of State can block.”
Mr. Grassley and Mr. Johnson said the additional unclassified FBI emails raised the suspicion that the State Department’s interference in ongoing FBI investigations was so troubling that then-Secretary Secretary Loretta Lynch had to discuss the matter with Secretary Kelly. He said that it shows that there was no such thing.
An unclassified email dated April 29, 2016, contained a summary of a meeting between then-Attorney General Lynch and Secretary of State Kerry. “…now is not a ‘good time’ to seek approval for extradition or kidnapping in the Iranian Communist Party case,” the email said.
Another email from May 3, 2016, describes the “tension” between Lynch and Kelly: [Principals Committee] When that was over, Kelly packed up and flew out without engaging the AG at all. The problem remains unresolved. ”
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“Records provided to our office demonstrate that, under the leadership of John Kerry, the State Department of the Obama/Biden administration is working to identify known terrorists, members of Iranian proliferation networks, and other criminals who provided material. “This evidence shows active and persistent interference with the FBI’s operations related to the arrest of “support for Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” Grassley and Johnson wrote.
Grassley and Johnson said the records “also show that the leadership of the Justice Department and FBI clearly allowed this incident to occur until the Trump administration changed course.”
Loretta Lynch served as attorney general for the last two years of the Obama administration (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Separately, a Nov. 29, 2016 email from Shell to FBI officials in Comey’s office said:
“It appears President Trump’s victory is having an impact on business in Iran. We are planning to sign a small contract (a $5 million license agreement) in Iran this week. They recently signed a deal.”Unofficially, European banks have said similar sentiments due to President Trump’s inauguration, and although the amounts are small, they have no impact on their operations in Iran. He said he was giving.
An email from former FBI employee Peter Strzok was copied.
Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson said the Justice Department has authorized the State Department to vacate Iran-related arrests until President Trump takes office. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Now, Mr. Grassley and Mr. Johnson are demanding records of the email archives of Mr. Kerry, current CIA Director Bill Burns, Wendy Sherman, and current Secretary of State Antony Blinken by June 4.
They are also demanding records that include terms like Mohommad Javaz Zarif. Joint Plan of Action (JPOA); Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran nuclear deal. Iran Proliferation/Nonproliferation. Law enforcement actions related to Iranian nationals. This includes visa issuance, surrender, and related subjects. and his eight case files mentioned.
Sens. Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley are seeking additional information on cases the FBI was unable to pursue due to alleged interference from the Obama State Department. (Graham Sloane/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The FBI and Justice Department confirmed receipt of Grassley’s letter, but both declined to comment further.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
