ANOTHER SCANDAL?  AH, SIGH, YES:  There is something new, and possibly ugly, brewing in Washington.  Readers are advised to follow this latest bubble in our nation's once glowing capital.

The story involves Robert Malley.  Sound familiar?  He was a good buddy of Barack Obama.  Despite his leftist views, a family leftist pedigree, and a tendency to cozy up to Iran, Obama stunned Washington by appointing Malley to head the American group negotiating with Iran for a nuclear restraint treaty.  This was 2015, and the result was an agreement so tilted in Iran's favor that Obama could not possibly get it through the Senate as a treaty, and so made it an executive agreement with Iran.   Iran got plenty of money.  We got some promises from Iran to restrict its nuclear weapons program.  And you know what that was worth.

President Trump correctly scrapped the agreement.

Flash forward to the age of Biden.  Joe wanted to get back into the agreement and needed a new negotiating team to work out the details.  And who did he pick to head it?  Why, Robert "Tehran Bob" Malley.  Why do I feel Barack Obama was pulling the strings?

And now, suddenly, Malley is in big trouble.  His security clearance has been suspended, one of the worst things that can happen to anyone involved with national security, a personal and political humiliation.  Members of Congress found out, and are showing extreme concern.  From the Jerusalem Post.   

US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley’s suspension over his handling of classified documents raised concerns that the Biden administration was misleading the public and lied to Congress, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said on Friday.

Malley told media last week: “I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave.”

The envoy’s suspension without pay came amid a State Department diplomatic security probe into the alleged mishandling of classified documents, according to US media reports.

McCaul said, “these reports raise serious concerns both regarding Malley’s conduct and whether the State Department misled Congress and the American public.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee repeatedly requested Malley’s testimony since April 11, 2023, to no avail.

Rather than inform McCaul of the reason Malley was unavailable, “Senior State Department officials informed the Committee that Special Envoy Malley was unable to testify or brief because of a close family member, for which my staff expressed sympathy,” McCaul wrote.

“At no point did the Department indicate that Special Envoy Malley’s security clearance was suspended or under review, or that he was being investigated for potential misconduct...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.”

Malley gave interviews about Iran as late as May 30, which was around the time much of his involvement stopped, a diplomatic source said.

The source pointed out that White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk was the leading figure in advancing a new, pared-down deal with Iran in which Tehran would put its uranium enrichment on hold, but not roll it back, in exchange for the US lifting sanctions.

The deal was not meant to be put in writing, in order to avoid congressional review.

McCaul said the proximity of these events “underscores the importance of Congressional oversight on Iran negotiations and policy, and for transparency and accountability on the part of the State Department and the rest of the Biden administration.”

COMMENT:  This is serious stuff, especially considering Malley's leftist background, his sympathy for Iran, and his record in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, which was a solid win for the wrong side. 

What precisely did Malley do?  How did he not get protected by the Biden administration?  Is it that bad?  The key here is to keep Republican heat on the whole sordid affair, and to refuse to allow the Biden press to bury the story.  I want to know everything.

July 2, 2023