Sen. Bill Hagerty of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday called on the State Department Inspector General to probe how the Tehran Times obtained a memorandum that informed Malley of his security clearance.
“Is this Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) memo about the suspension of Rob Malley’s security clearance authentic? How did the regime get this SBU memo? The State Department owes US Senators answers to these & many other critical questions,” Hagerty posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The senator had previously called for an “independent investigation” into whether the State Department abided by all appropriate laws and regulations in relation to Malley’s suspension.
Jim Banks, a US representative from Indiana, took to the same platform to demand answers from the Biden administration, saying the White House has to “come clean” about how Malley’s security clearance was revoked and whether he has given any information to the Iranian government.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has also reacted to the Tehran Times report, expressing concern about how the newspaper has got its hands on the sensitive information. “I have requested transparency from the State Department on the ongoing Robert Malley saga and will continue to demand answers. This latest chapter raises serious questions about how Iran obtained this potentially authentic document and what other sensitive or classified information they may have,” McCaul said in a statement.
The Tehran Times was the first media outlet to report on the details of Malley’s suspension in June. According to a letter obtained by the newspaper, the diplomat received a memorandum from Erin Smart, the director of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Office of Personnel Security and Suitability, On April 21 which informed him of the reasons why his security clearance was withdrawn.
The letter lists three reasons as to why Robert Malley has lost his eligibility which include actions that have to do with personal conduct, handling of protected information, and use of information technology. “Continued national security eligibility is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security,” said the document.
The memorandum does not provide specific examples of how Malley's personal actions endangered US national security or mishandled protected information. However, the Tehran Times previously reported that Malley's suspicious interactions with his aides of Iranian descent contributed to his downfall.
Before assuming office, Malley had extensive contact with various Iranian-American individuals such as Ali Vaez, Vali Nasr, and Trita Parsi. It is worth noting that Malley's son is still working with Parsi at the Quincy Institute.
According to a previous report by the Tehran Times, Malley had close contact with at least Vaez during his time as Iran's envoy. The two compiled a list of 14 Iranian figures that could replace Iranian diplomats once they had been dismissed. The list was made after the US State Department came up with a diplomatic coup plan during the 2022 riots in Iran.
By Mona Hojat Ansari
First published in Tehran Times