Mast Questions Robert Malley’s ‘Shady’ Past

Florida Rep. Brian Mast (R) is sounding the alarm on Robert Malley, the United States Special Envoy for Iran. In a blog post, Mast questioned Malley’s previous dealings with both Iran and Hamas, raising concerns over a “shady” record.

Amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration over numerous concerns related to the matter. Republicans have criticized the controversial Iran Nuclear Deal, which Malley was “the chief architect of,” and Iran itself has been criticized for providing financial assistance to Hamas. Embroiled in this is Malley, who was appointed in 2021 by President Joe Biden (D) to be the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran.

Mast, in a blog post, warns of Malley’s “questionable history,” citing an incident wherein Malley was caught negotiating with Hamas in 2008. At the time, Malley was a Middle East political adviser to then-presidential nominee Barack Obama (D). After Malley was caught meeting with Hamas, he resigned from his role of advisor.

Mast also highlights that while Malley was the Special Envoy for Biden, “he had his security clearance suspended – allegedly as early as April of 2023.” However, Malley was still kept on as staff, and the Biden administration is alleged to have tried to hide the status of Malley’s security clearances.

“At the same time, there was bipartisan interest amongst members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in hearing from Mr. Malley, but we were turned down by the State Department,” Mast informs in his blog. This is because Malley was “unavailable.”

Warning that the U.S. should not face this situation again, Mast noted that the Foreign Affairs Committee passed his bill, the State Department Security Notification Act, which would demand transparency.

The bill would ensure that the State Department notifies and briefs the House Foreign Affairs Committee regarding any changes in the security clearance status of senior officials.