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GOP lawmakers demand answers on Iran envoy Malley's suspension

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul is requesting “all documents and communications” related to Robert Malley’s leave and security clearance suspension. 

Malley
Robert Malley, Biden administration special envoy for Iran, testifies during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. — BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has requested the State Department provide a detailed accounting into US Special Envoy Robert Malley’s leave of absence and suspension of his security clearance.  

On Thursday, Malley confirmed his security clearance was under investigation and said he expected the matter to be resolved soon. CNN and other outlets reported Malley was on unpaid leave amid a State Department diplomatic security investigation into his possible mishandling of classified information. 

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) said the reports “raise serious concerns both regarding Malley’s conduct and whether the State Department misled Congress and the American public.”

“The department’s failure to inform Congress of this matter demonstrates at best a lack of candor, and at worst represents deliberate and potentially unlawful misinformation,” McCaul said. 

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