Watchdog drags State Department to court over Iran envoy scandal

CASA has also targeted the National Archives with legal action, seeking documents from Malley’s time as special assistant to President Obama during the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiations.

By Jewish Breaking News

The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, seeking to break through months of silence surrounding former US Iran envoy Robert Malley’s suspension.

Malley, who was named as President Biden’s special representative for Iran in 2021, had long been instrumental in back-channel dealings with the Iranian government.

He lost his security clearance in April 2023 after allegedly transferring classified documents to his personal email and cell phone, which were then stolen by an unidentified “cyber actor.”

A scathing September report from the State Department’s revealed senior officials had allowed Malley to maintain access to classified materials even after his suspension.

More troubling, the report found evidence that department leadership actively worked to shield the situation from congressional oversight and public scrutiny, raising questions about a potential cover-up.

In August 2023, shortly after Malley’s suspension became public, the *Tehran Times* published reports containing “sensitive but unclassified” State Department documents, including one that outlined the reasons Malley had his security clearance revoked.

A month later, the paper released audio recordings of National Security Council coordinator Brett McGurk discussing “national security options towards Iran.”

CASA has also targeted the National Archives with legal action, seeking documents from Malley’s time as special assistant to President Obama during the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiations.

Despite identifying more than 200,000 relevant files in December, the Archives has yet to release a single document.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, several of Malley’s protégés remain in sensitive positions.

Most notably, his former protégé Ariane Tabatabai still holds a senior Pentagon position despite being unmasked as part of a shadowy Iranian influence operation called the Iran Experts Initiative.

America First Legal launched separate legal action last month over the Biden administration’s obstruction of investigations into Tabatabai’s activities.

IranRobert MalleyspyState Department