Biden’s Embattled Iran Envoy Suspended for Conduct Lands Teaching Job at Elite University

The man who led the Biden administration’s negotiations with Iran before having his security clearance suspended is now joining the faculty of an elite Ivy League school as a visiting professor and lecturer.

Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs on Tuesday announced the hiring of Robert Malley, who has been on unpaid leave from his role as Iran envoy at the State Department since June.

The suspension of Malley’s security clearance was related to potential mishandling of classified information, although details remain murky. The State Department has largely refused to comment on Malley’s situation, citing personnel rules that prevent officials from discussing his suspension or the investigation.

Multiple media outlets reported last month that the investigation into Malley had been taken over by the FBI.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), who has demanded additional information from the State Department about Malley’s leave of absence, told The Algemeiner on Wednesday that he’s working on a legislative solution to address what he described as the State Department’s lack of transparency over the Iran envoy’s status.

“Rob Malley’s security clearance was suspended, and he was placed on leave from the State Department — with no explanation as to why, even in a classified setting,” McCaul said. “I’m working on legislation to mandate the State Department be transparent with Congress when there are security issues with senior officials.”

McCaul then called on Princeton to “reconsider” its decision to bring Malley on board.

“I would urge Princeton to reconsider allowing Mr. Malley to teach US college students until the underlying reason for the suspension is made clear and the issue is resolved,” the congressman said.

Princeton’s announcement describes Malley as “on leave” from the State Department without mentioning the ongoing probe. According to the school, Malley will teach a graduate course in the fall on “foreign policy decision-making” and undergraduate courses in the spring focused on “some combination of diplomacy, negotiation, and foreign policy.”

The same day as Princeton’s announcement, Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs announced that it was appointing Malley as a Jackson School senior fellow. According to its website, Jackson School fellows “teach courses, consult with students about career ambitions, enliven the conversation on campus, and conduct research emanating from their experiences.”

Princeton, Yale, and the State Department did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s requests for comment about Malley’s hiring and appointment.

Malley was a top negotiator of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Under the deal, Iran received large-scale sanctions relief in exchange for agreeing to temporary restrictions on its nuclear program.

Until his security clearance was suspended, Malley led the Biden administration’s nuclear talks to revive the agreement, from which the former Trump administration withdrew the US in 2018.

Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Algemeiner that the administration’s silence on Malley is reflective of its broader approach to Iran policy.

“There are communication and policy problems with Iran in this administration, and I don’t think that they’re being transparent with the American people and with Congress as to what’s going on,” Brodsky said. “They are acting in a non-transparent manner, and they seem to be concealing something. It’s really not a good look for the administration.”

Brodsky went on to add that the Biden administration needs to be more transparent and bipartisan when it comes to Iran if the US is going to have a successful policy toward the rogue regime.

“If they want to come up with something that’s bipartisan and has support, they need to do a lot better in talking about what they are doing and explaining what they are doing,” Brodsky said. “A policy cannot be successful unless they explain it. And I really think that they’re not learning the lessons of the JCPOA from 2015. That became a deeply partisan exercise. And that ultimately led to its unraveling.”

While the State Department’s website still lists Malley as the Iran special envoy, Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley has taken over the top job’s social media accounts and, according to State Department spokespeople, has taken over Malley’s duties concerning Iran.

“I have no specifics to offer other than what you’ve heard me and my colleagues say previously, which is that Rob Malley is on leave,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday. “Abram Paley is leading the department’s work in this area, and I will leave it at that.”

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