Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling on the State Department and its independent watchdog to investigate allegations against John Kerry, the former secretary of state and current special presidential envoy for climate, for potentially mishandling sensitive and classified information. According to news reports, Kerry may have disclosed covert Israeli actions against Iranian interests in Syria to Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Reports also indicate that Kerry discussed the nuclear deal and other matters with Zarif after Kerry had left office.
In his letters, Grassley asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department’s Acting Inspector General Diana Shaw whether they were aware of Kerry’s meetings with Zarif and whether they will begin a security review of Kerry’s conduct. Grassley also asked Shaw whether she will examine the process by which the State Department oversees security requirements for former officials, such as secretaries of state, who retain a clearance after leaving office.
The letters follow a message to President Biden from Grassley and other Republican senators calling for an investigation into the allegations against Kerry’s alleged statements.
Full text of the letter to Secretary Blinken can be found HERE. Full text of the letter to Acting IG Shaw can be found HERE.
