State Department Inspector General probing suspension of Biden’s Iran envoy

The State Department’s Inspector General has opened an internal investigation into the steps leading up to and after the suspension of the Biden administration’s special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley.

On January 23, the Inspector General’s office informed members of Congress about the probe in response to growing questions from U.S. lawmakers about Malley’s status and the reasons behind the Diplomatic Security Service’s decision to revoke his security clearance last April, according to correspondence seen by Semafor. Malley continued to perform some of the duties of the special envoy for nearly three months before the State Department officially placed him on unpaid leave in late June.

“The scope of the special review of the suspension of Robert Malley’s clearance will include the procedures the Department used in suspending the clearance as well as actions taken by the Department following the suspension,” Ryan Holden, the Inspector General’s director of congressional and public affairs, wrote in the letter. “This will include whether the Department followed proper procedures in suspending his clearance, determining what access to information he could maintain, and deciding the status of his employment.”

Holden added in his letter: “The special review will also examine which officials were involved in these decisions and how the process compares to that used for other types of employees.”

The Inspector General is interviewing State Department staff and reviewing documents and emails as part of the investigation, he said. A report will eventually be made public.

The State Department informed Malley last April 21 that it had “received information regarding you that raises serious security concerns and can be disqualifying under National Security Adjudicative Guidelines.” Semafor reported in July that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Malley for potentially mishandling classified information.

The State Department on Saturday told Semafor that it couldn’t comment on the Inspector General’s investigation into Malley but that, in general, it “always cooperates.”

Malley’s suspension is one of Washington’s great mysteries and is emerging as an election year issue. Republicans sharply criticized the diplomat’s efforts to engage with Iran after he became special envoy in 2021. But his suspension has made him an even greater lightning rod for attacks from the right.

Semfor reported earlier this month that the NGO Malley headed before becoming special envoy, the International Crisis Group, had forged a formal research agreement with Iran’s Foreign Ministry in 2016, which it had not publicly disclosed. Semafor also reported in September that senior aides to Malley, both inside the U.S. government and at Crisis Group, had been part of the Iran Experts Initiative, a network of academics and researchers that Iranian officials used to promote Tehran’s positions on its nuclear program during the Obama Administration. This was also not disclosed.

Crisis Group disputes the characterization of IEI, calling it an informal network of researchers funded in part by a Western government.

Congressional staffers told Semafor this week that the Inspector General’s probe into Malley’s suspension only further muddies the picture. Many lawmakers voiced alarm that Malley kept working at the State Department for months following his suspension, and hoped the new investigation could explain why. They’re also fixated on learning the specific infractions he may have committed that led to the revoking of his security clearance.

But Republican staffers also told Semafor that the wide scope of the investigation could mean that it’s not completed or made public until after the November presidential election. And they fear this could allow the White House to bury the details behind Malley’s suspension until after the vote.

The Biden administration has been almost totally silent about Malley’s status since his departure last June. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a high school classmate of Malley’s in Paris, initially praised his diplomatic work. So did National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. A new special envoy has taken Malley’s place, though diplomacy with Iran has ground to a halt following the October terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, a militant Palestinian group that’s armed and funded by Tehran.

Malley himself issued a short statement to Axios after his suspension saying he expected “the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon.” But he has declined requests for comment from Semafor since then.

The diplomat and academic is now a scholar-in-residence at both Yale and Princeton universities. He told Yale News last month that he’s teaching a course this semester on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, something which he said is even more important to study due to the current war in the Gaza Strip.

“In the wake of Oct. 7, I questioned whether it still made sense or whether it would be best to wait,” he said. “Ultimately, I concluded, in coordination with the School, that it had become even more important to try to create an environment where students could learn more about this topic and engage with others in thoughtful, respectful conversations.”

• Princeton University announced in August its hiring of Malley as a visiting professor and lecturer.