{"id":2050017,"date":"2023-09-29T17:31:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T21:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-revoke-security-clearance-of-official-linked-to-iranian-government-group\/"},"modified":"2023-09-29T17:33:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T21:33:47","slug":"gop-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-revoke-security-clearance-of-official-linked-to-iranian-government-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-revoke-security-clearance-of-official-linked-to-iranian-government-group\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Senators urge Pentagon to revoke security clearance of official tied to Iranian government group."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-revoke-security-clearance-of-official-linked-to-iranian-government-group%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2050017&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Republican\u200d Senators Call for Immediate Revocation of Pentagon Official&#8217;s Security Clearance<\/h2>\n<p>A \u2062coalition of Republican senators has demanded that the Pentagon revoke the security clearance of a senior official accused \u200cof being\u200c part of \u200ba secret Iranian government-run propaganda network. \u2063In a letter to the Department of\u2064 Defense, the senators launched an investigation into the matter and called \u2064for swift action.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Armed Services Committee,\u200d comprised of Republican lawmakers, has initiated an official probe into the \u200bBiden administration&#8217;s hiring of Ariane Tabatabai, a senior \u200bPentagon \u2063official with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voa-misallocates-funds-and-suppresses-negative-stories-about-iran-this-lawmaker-wants-to-investigate\/\" title=\"VOA Misallocates Funds and Suppresses Negative Stories About Iran. This Lawmaker Wants To Investigate.\">top-secret security clearance<\/a>. Tabatabai was\u200d recently exposed as an alleged member of\u200b an Iranian-run influence network, which operated \u200cunder the guidance of Tehran&#8217;s foreign ministry and aimed to promote \u2063Iranian policies among \u2064Washington policymakers.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/09.29.23-Joint-ltr-to-SECDEF-Re-Tabatabai-FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a>, exclusively\u200c obtained by the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>, \u200cis endorsed by 30 Republican senators, including \u200cRoger Wicker,\u200b the ranking \u2063member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u200bThis investigation is the most high-profile one to date, following a\u2064 similar probe launched by\u200c the House \u200bArmed \u2063Services Committee earlier in \u2063the week.<\/p>\n<p>The senators are demanding the immediate\u2064 suspension\u2062 of\u2064 Tabatabai&#8217;s security clearance\u2062 pending further review, drawing attention to the State Department&#8217;s previous \u2062suspension of her former supervisor, Robert Malley, for mishandling classified\u200b information. They express their outrage that a senior Department\u2062 official would continue\u200c to hold a sensitive\u200c position despite her alleged involvement in an Iranian government information operation.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Semafor<\/em> report, which \u2064exposed Tabatabai&#8217;s alleged \u2063membership\u200c in the propaganda network, also implicated &#8220;influential overseas academics&#8221; who collaborated with Iran&#8217;s foreign ministry \u2062to promote Tehran&#8217;s talking points among American policymakers. The \u200breport, based on a cache of Iranian government\u2064 documents, revealed that several\u2062 analysts, including Tabatabai, had close ties to\u200d Malley both inside and outside of government.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon initially\u200b defended \u2063Tabatabai, stating that she had been properly vetted before her employment. \u200dHowever, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Chris Maier&#8217;s testimony\u200c before Congress seemed to contradict this statement, indicating that the Pentagon is actively \u200dinvestigating whether all protocols were followed during Tabatabai&#8217;s security clearance process.<\/p>\n<p>The senators argue that the Pentagon&#8217;s rush to defend Tabatabai suggests a potential cover-up of a significant security \u2064lapse, rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-the-2022-midterms-were-good-for-veterans\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich: The 2022 Midterms Were Good for Veterans\">prioritizing national security<\/a>. They emphasize that concerns about Tabatabai are not new, as \u2063lawmakers had previously requested a review of her ability to obtain a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-want-answers-from-state-department-about-suspended-iran-envoy-robert-malley\/\" title=\"House Republicans seek State Department's clarification on suspended Iran envoy Robert Malley.\">security clearance due<\/a> \u200bto \u2062her\u2063 history of promoting Iranian \u200dgovernment \u200ctalking points.<\/p>\n<p>The latest\u2063 revelations about Tabatabai&#8217;s close relations with the \u200dhardline government in Tehran, including direct communications with senior Iranian officials, indicate that her involvement with the Iranian regime may have \u200dbeen more\u200c extensive than previously believed. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-revoke-security-clearance-of-official-linked-to-iranian-government-group\/\" title=\"GOP Senators urge Pentagon to revoke security clearance of official tied to Iranian government group.\">senators demand detailed information<\/a> from the\u2062 Pentagon regarding the review of Tabatabai&#8217;s background and whether\u2064 officials were aware of her contacts with Iranian regime officials prior to \u2063the recent\u200d <em>Semafor<\/em> report.<\/p>\n<p>The senators also seek clarification on whether Tabatabai\u200b underwent\u200b additional counterintelligence \u200cscreening, including a polygraph investigation, during her security clearance process.\u200d They request\u2063 any information that could shed light on whether Tabatabai omitted\u200d details about her connections with \u2063the Iranian government when completing security\u200c forms for her Pentagon position.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why do the senators believe\u200d that\u2063 promoting\u2062 Iranian propaganda \u200bwithin the United States is a direct\u200c threat to national security and undermines\u200b American interests in \u200dthe Middle \u2062East<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ted with\u200d her. These academics are \u200dbelieved \u2064to have\u2064 ties\u2064 to the \u2064Iranian regime\u2062 and have used their positions to\u2062 advance \u2063Iranian interests in the United States. The coalition of \u2064Republican senators request\u2064 that the Department\u200c of Defense investigate these academics as\u2064 well and \u200ddetermine if any action needs to be taken against them.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200dtheir letter, \u2063the \u2062senators express deep \u2062concern \u2064over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-denies-chinese-money-story-that-hunter-biden-confirmed-thats-not-true\/\" title=\"Joe Biden denies Chinese money story that Hunter Biden confirmed: \u2018That\u2019s not true\u2019\">potential national security implications<\/a> \u2063of having a\u200d senior Pentagon official with ties \u200cto an Iranian propaganda network. They argue that such \u2062connections \u200dcompromise the integrity\u200b and credibility \u200cof the\u200d United States government and its defense institutions.\u200c Additionally, they raise questions about the Biden\u200b administration&#8217;s vetting process for hiring\u200b officials with security clearances and call for a review of the procedures \u2062to ensure that individuals \u2064with potential ties to foreign influence networks are \u2064not given access \u2062to classified\u2063 information.<\/p>\n<p>The senators contend that promoting \u200bIranian propaganda within the United States is a direct threat to national \u200dsecurity and undermines American \u2064interests in the Middle East. They argue that allowing Tabatabai to maintain her security clearance \u200bsends \u200dthe wrong\u200d message to both domestic and international audiences that\u2062 the United States tolerates or is \u200deven complicit in foreign interference in\u2063 its democratic processes.<\/p>\n<p>The call for the revocation of Tabatabai&#8217;s \u2064security clearance\u200c comes\u200d at a time when tensions between the United States and Iran\u200d are\u2062 already high. The senators\u200d emphasize the need for a strong and unified response to such threats, and they urge \u2063the Department of Defense to take immediate action\u200c to ensure the safety and security of the United\u2062 States.<\/p>\n<p>As the investigation proceeds, the senators remain committed to holding \u200cthe Biden administration \u2062accountable for its personnel\u2063 decisions and ensuring \u2064that government agencies are free from foreign\u200d influence. They believe that the revocation of Tabatabai&#8217;s security clearance would serve as a decisive step in upholding\u200c the integrity \u200dof the \u200cAmerican defense establishment and \u200csafeguarding national security interests.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, Republican senators are demanding the immediate\u200b revocation of Ariane Tabatabai&#8217;s\u200d security clearance based \u200con allegations\u200c of her involvement in an Iranian government-run\u200d propaganda network.\u2063 They\u2062 argue that such connections pose a significant risk to national security and call for \u2064a \u2064thorough \u200dinvestigation into the matter. The \u2063senators emphasize the need to protect the integrity \u200cof the \u2062United States government and its defense institutions from foreign influence and underscore the importance \u2062of a strong and unified response to threats from Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>committee are demanding that the Pentagon swiftly strip a high-ranking official of their security clearance after being accused of involvement in a covert Iranian propaganda network. In a letter to the Department of Defense, Republican senators called for an investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2050018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2050017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2050017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2050018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2050017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2050017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2050017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}