Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) wants to make it easier for Congress to access records related to the suspension of executive branch officials — including former special envoy for Iran Robert Malley, who was quietly put on leave in June.
Tenney introduced a bill on Thursday to “require the head of an Executive agency, upon request, to submit to the appropriate congressional committee information regarding the leave or suspension without pay of employees of such Executive agency,” according to a copy of the bill obtained exclusively by The Postal.
The proposal mandates federal agency heads to respond within 15 days to requests from the chairman of the Oversight and Homeland Security committees and ranking members in the House and Senate about circumstances in which employees are terminated or suspended indefinitely without pay.
Additionally, all other committees may make similar requests from agencies over which they have jurisdiction.
However, if the removal is due to a lack of government funding or is initiated by the Office of the Special Counsel, the records do not need to be turned over, as the records would be outside the jurisdiction of any agency and would likely be privileged information.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) wants to ease Congressional access to records related to the suspension of executive branch officials — including former special envoy for Iran Robert Malley. Getty Images Tenney introduced a bill on Thursday to require agency heads to submit information about suspended employees to relevant congressional committees. AFP via Getty Images
Details of the suspension or leave should be presented “in unclassified form, but may contain a classified attachment.”
The eponymous legislation is titled Requiring Officials and Bureaucrats to Immediately Release Testimony and Meaningful Answers about Violations of the Law and the Locked-Up Worker Act Yesterday (ROBERT MALLEY).
In October, the House Oversight Committee announced it planned to subpoena the State Department for information about Malley’s security clearance, which was revoked earlier this year after his top aides were exposed as part of an Iranian influence campaign.
The committee also demanded records on one of those aides, Ariane Tabatabai, who participated in a program with Tehran’s Foreign Ministry to influence nuclear negotiations with the US, according to leaked documents obtained by Semafor.
The FBI is separately investigating the circumstances under which Malley’s security clearance was revoked. AFP via Getty Images
The FBI is separately investigating the circumstances under which Malley’s security clearance was revoked.
Tabatabai, who currently serves as a Pentagon aide, was one of three advisers to Malley working with the Iran Expert Initiative, a project started under Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Semafor first reported.
The aides attended conferences and drafted op-eds supporting the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Obama administration’s negotiated deal designed to reduce Tehran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
The initiative is part of a “quiet effort” by Iran’s Foreign Ministry “to improve Tehran’s image and position in global security issues,” according to Semafor.
GOP lawmakers also demanded records about one of those aides, Ariane Tabatabai, who participated in a program with Tehran’s Foreign Ministry to influence nuclear negotiations. Center for a New American Security
“Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley was recently placed on leave for mishandling classified material, yet for months the administration has withheld critical information regarding his suspension,” Tenney said in a statement.
“The State Department’s failure to inform Congress is deeply troubling and underscores the need for robust Congressional oversight to restore accountability and transparency. The ROBERT MALLEY Act aims to uncover the full story behind Special Envoy Malley’s Iran spy ring and prevent future cover-ups by the Biden administration,” he added.
“I remain committed to ensuring that Congress can properly oversee federal agencies and government officials.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
