House Foreign Affairs Committee Seeks All Information on 'Suspension of Robert Malley'

Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has given the U.S. State Department until the close of business on Tuesday to provide all information related to the suspension of Robert Malley, the U.S. Special Envoy to Iran. The details surrounding this matter remain unclear. A spokesperson for the State Department did not directly answer a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the department's readiness to respond to McCaul, but stated that they have received the letter and will be in contact with McCaul's office. McCaul's letter requests all details regarding Malley's suspension, such as what the allegations are, the stage of the investigations, how far they have progressed, and what results have been obtained so far, and whether Malley has shared confidential information with anyone. McCaul has requested that Malley's acting replacement, Abraham Paley, along with Brett McGurk from the National Security Council, appear before the committee by the end of this month to answer their questions. Congress has been aware since May, when Wendy Sherman and several other senior officials held a closed meeting regarding Iran, that Malley had a family issue and could not be present in Washington. At that time, Malley was still somewhat active, and emails were exchanged on his behalf among officials, but it remains unclear when his security clearance was suspended. Some news sources indicate that the FBI is now involved in this matter. The latest news on this issue was reported by CBS News, but it is still unclear whether this is a criminal case or not. On the day the news of Malley's suspension was published, he told some news agencies that he had learned of it that very day and expected the matter to be resolved soon and in his favor. From the beginning, there had been significant criticism regarding Robert Malley's appointment. Many Iranians residing in the U.S. who oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran, especially after the recent nationwide protests in Iran, have targeted him. From Congress to think tanks, all were against Malley, especially those opposed to the JCPOA. Iranians protesting in Washington often held banners stating 'Malley must be fired' and protested against the fact that Malley was consulting with Iranians who were known in Washington at least as 'lobbyists for the Islamic Republic.' Additionally, it was noted that Malley had previously traveled to Tehran, a fact recently confirmed by the deputy of the International Crisis Group at the 'J Street' think tank conference, stating that 18 years ago he was invited to Iran to explain U.S. government policies and had taken Malley with him to Iran. Gita Aryan, a senior reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, has primarily focused on foreign policy news. She began her journalism career in 1987 with radio and joined Voice of America in 2004.