The US House of Representatives foreign affairs committee has issued an ultimatum to the State Department to come clean about the suspension of its Iran envoy Rob Malley.
The chairman of the committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) wrote his second letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken – as he had vowed to do if he did not get answers – on Thursday with stronger words and a call to immediate action: a classified briefing and testimony.
McCaul referred to his earlier letter of June 30 to Blinken seeking "a full and transparent accounting" about why Malley was suspended and was under investigation. The Senior Republican lawmaker slammed the response he received this week as "absolutely unacceptable" because the department refrained from providing any information.
In the new letter, McCaul asserted that “the Committee expects prompt and full compliance with its requests, and it will not tolerate obstruction of its oversight of this national security matter.”
As an initial next step, he told asked Blinken to make arrangements “no later than 5:00 pm Monday, July 17 for a classified briefing on or before Wednesday, July 26,” threatening that “If you fail to make such arrangements in a timely manner, I am prepared to request testimony on this matter in a classified hearing and to compel the appearance of requested witnesses should they refuse to appear voluntarily.”
Capitol Hill Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s unwillingness to share information about the issue. Adding insult to injury, an article by Tehran Times, a publication controlled by the Iranian regime, provided astonishing details about Malley's situation.
This has led to concerns that the Iranian government knows more about the issue than US lawmakers.