A group of House Republicans is asking the State Department inspector general to open an investigation into Biden administration “climate czar” John Kerry after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on a reportedly leaked tape that Kerry had revealed to him that Israel attacked Iranian interests some 200 times in Syria.
According to The Hill, GOP Reps. Ann Wagner (MO), Andy Barr (KY), and Lee Zeldin (NY) made the request in a letter to Diana Shaw, who is acting inspector general.
“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 representatives wrote.
They also asked Shaw to determine whether Kerry’s security clearance should be revoked because of the leak.
“A serious threat”
“Iran is a serious threat to Israel, a bulwark of democracy and stability in the Middle East. It is in our national security interest to stand by our strategic ally — not sell it out to our adversaries,” the GOP members of Congress said, according to The Hill.
The lawmakers also asked whether the State Department knew about Kerry’s leak and when the original statements occurred.
Kerry is the U.S. envoy for climate change, but it was clear when he was secretary of state under Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017 that he had no love lost for Israel.
His alleged leak to Iran was reported by news outlets early this week when the audio of Zarif’s March comments was leaked. Zarif did not say when Kerry made the revelation to him.
A long shot investigation
Fox News pointed out that it is unlikely Kerry will face any investigation because of Democrats’ current dominance in Washington.
Kerry, for his part, has called the allegations “unequivocally false” and said the leak “never happened.”
Democrat lawmakers like Sens. Dick Durbin (IL) and Tim Kaine (VA) have said they are standing by Kerry and they think he is loyal to the U.S. and its allies. “These are unsubstantiated allegations and Secretary Kerry says they’re not true and I have no reason to think that he’s not being straight with us,” Kaine said, according to Fox.
Republicans, meanwhile, are doubling down. “Secretary Kerry must immediately testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to address these serious allegations, and if Kerry did actively undermine Israel, he must resign from the Biden administration immediately and have his security clearance revoked,” Rep. Zeldin said in a statement, as Fox reported.
The post House Republicans seek federal investigation into John Kerry first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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