Politics

EXCLUSIVE: Group Of Republicans Call For Investigation Into John Kerry

Photo by U.S. Embassy Seoul via Getty Images

Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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A group of House Republicans sent a letter Wednesday to Acting Inspector General Diana Shaw, calling for an investigation into former Secretary of State John Kerry’s ties to Iran.

The Daily Caller first obtained the letter which was spearheaded by Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner, who was joined by Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr and New York Rep. Lee Zeldin. In the letter, they mention a New York Times report that says Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a leaked audio recording that Kerry informed him that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria over 200 times.

Kerry has denied the allegations.

In their letter, the members of Congress asked Shaw a number of questions regarding the allegations and said both the situation and Kerry in particular need to be investigated.

“We write to draw your attention to recent allegations surrounding United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. We are appalled by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s claim that Mr. Kerry, as Secretary of State, revealed Israel’s covert attacks on Iranian interests in Syria. Iran poses an existential threat to Israel, the United States’ key ally in the Middle East, and it has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to attack Israel directly, both through proxies and from its positions in Syria. Given the gravity of the security threat Iran poses to U.S. and Israeli interests, we respectfully ask that you fully investigate these allegations,” the letter states.

The lawmakers asked Shaw five questions in the letter: 

  • Was the Department of State aware of these allegations before they were reported by the New York Times?
  • What is the status of Special Envoy Kerry’s security clearance?
  • What were the circumstances surrounding the alleged leak of information from former Secretary Kerry to Mr. Zarif, including the timing of the alleged conversation?
  • What role has Special Envoy Kerry had in the formulation of the Biden Administration’s policy on reentering the JCPOA?
  • Are you aware of any follow-on attacks made by Iranian proxies against Israel or its forces after Special Envoy Kerry’s alleged conversation with Foreign Minister Zarif?

READ THE LETTER HERE:

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) Let… by Henry Rodgers

“On April 25, 2021, the New York Times reported that former Secretary of State John Kerry informed Mr. Zarif, ‘to his astonishment,’ that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times. Special Envoy Kerry has also admitted that he secretly met with Mr. Zarif twice during the previous Administration to undermine President Trump while his Administration planned to withdraw from the deeply flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and restore the United States’ ability to deter Iranian aggression,” the group continued in the letter. (RELATED: Report: John Kerry Told Iranian Foreign Minister About Secret Israeli Military Operations)

“President Biden’s Administration has committed to improving the JCPOA to better address Iran’s malign activity; we believe that Special Envoy Kerry’s relationship with Mr. Zarif and indiscretion on matters of importance to the U.S.-Israel security relationship may negatively impact the Biden Administration’s ability to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran,” they added. (RELATED: Pompeo Claims It’s Not The First Time John Kerry Met With Iranian Officials Against American Interests)

The Daily Caller spoke with the three Republicans regarding the letter.

“If this report is true, Secretary Kerry severely undermined the American-Israeli alliance to provide intelligence about one of our most trusted allies to the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism,” Barr told the Caller. “John Kerry and Joe Biden have proven to be pro-Iranian before by championing the failed Iran Nuclear Deal, but this type of betrayal of a staunch ally is simply unconscionable. We need the Inspector General to launch an immediate, impartial investigation to determine the validity of these claims.”

Zeldin called for Biden to resign and said his security clearance should be revoked.

“The State Department must investigate the massively alarming allegations that John Kerry leaked information to Iran on covert Israeli military operations. If it’s proven that Kerry actively undermined one of America’s staunchest allies, he needs to resign from the Biden administration immediately and have his security clearance revoked,” Zeldin told the Caller.

Wagner warned that this leak threatens national security.

“The claims against Special Envoy Kerry are of grave concern, and the Biden Administration must conduct a full investigation into his potentially dangerous relationship with Iranian leaders,” Wagner told the Caller. “A leak of this nature threatens our national security and betrays our allies. The Biden Administration must take decisive action to determine whether Special Envoy Kerry should continue to serve in his current role, and whether or not allies can trust him to safeguard our shared interests.”

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that Kerry was communicating with Iranian officials during the Trump administration, saying Kerry was advising the Iranians not to negotiate until after Trump left office.

“It looks like from this reporting that it’s confirmed what we already believed, which was when I was briefing President Trump, Kerry was briefing Zarif on intelligence that related to Israeli operations,” Pompeo said.