US President Joe Biden's former special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, was placed on leave and is now under investigation by the FBI for alleged manipulation of classified information, State Department sources told Semafor.
The investigation into Malley was initially conducted by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, but the senior US official briefed on the matter informed Semafor that the case was passed on to the FBI, which could suggest alleged criminal foul play.
The FBI’s involvement raises the stakes of the investigation into a veteran, high-profile, and sometimes controversial diplomat, and suggests that investigators are considering something beyond the lowest-level mishandling of documents.
A senior US official, who didn’t have direct knowledge of the matter, told Semafor that for a political appointee at Malley’s level, government agencies would not suspend a clearance independently unless a law enforcement agency has an open investigation. News outlets including Semafor reported last week that he faced an internal diplomatic security investigation. The source briefed on the matter said it had been turned over to the FBI.
The details of the case, and what Malley is suspected of, are also not clear beyond that it deals with his handling of classified information. But the involvement of the FBI is significant in that it indicates there could be suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.
Malley told news outlets in a statement last week that his clearance was “under review” but that he expected “the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon.”
MNA/PR
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