New whistleblower bombshells have sparked outrage over claims that high ranking officials in former President Barack Obama’s administration obstructed the arrests of Iranian nationals linked to terrorism and weapons proliferation – all to protect the controversial 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
In a startling letter to current administration officials, Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson laid out “unclassified internal FBI emails” they say show top Obama figures like then-Secretary of State John Kerry “actively and persistently interfered with FBI operations” against Iranian operatives inside the United States.
“The records provided to our offices show that the Obama/Biden administration’s State Department, under the leadership of John Kerry, actively and persistently interfered with FBI operations pertaining to lawful arrests of known terrorists, members of Iranian proliferation networks, and other criminals providing material support for Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” the senators wrote Wednesday.
The damning whistleblower disclosures claim there were at least 8 instances in 2015 and 2016 where the State Department allegedly blocked the FBI and Department of Justice from making arrests of Iranian nationals on U.S. soil.
This included denying the arrest of one subject “on the Terrorism Watch List,” the senators said.
“The FBI lost the opportunity to arrest the subject, who is on the Terrorism Watch List, when the subject traveled to the US in July 2015. The State Department blocked our plan to arrest while the subject was mid-flight and the subject was forced to leave the US immediately upon arrival,” one FBI counterintelligence email stated.
The whistleblower evidence portrays frustration from FBI agents after they were ordered to “stand down” from what they described as “layup” arrests.
“We are all beside ourselves on asking the field to stand down on a layup arrest. However, as it stands right now we all have to sit back and wait until all the US and Iran negotiations resolve themselves,” an exasperated FBI counterintelligence official reportedly wrote in July 2015. “We will continue to argue for aggressive action, however we will probably lose. Our hands are tied.”
According to the senators, this apparent “political interference” came directly from Kerry’s State Department. They said it “endangered national security” by allowing numerous Iranian nationals illegally operating inside the U.S. to escape arrest.
“Records further show State’s actions, at the direction of former Secretary Kerry, endangered national security, hamstrung the FBI’s law enforcement efforts and counteracted our government’s stance against Iran,” the Republican senators said in a statement.
Read this letter.
Whistleblowers’ emails reveal John Kerry blocked the FBI and DOJ from arresting Iranian terrorists and agents on U.S. soil in order to protect his Iran deal.
He even ran away from a White House meeting to avoid getting confronted by the Attorney General. pic.twitter.com/MuPUqWOA4n
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) May 22, 2024
If true, the whistleblower evidence shows the Obama administration prioritized the Iran nuclear deal over U.S. law, despite publicly claiming it would maintain strict sanctions and enforcement against Tehran’s nuclear program and the Islamic regime’s support for terrorism.
Grassley and Johnson accused then-FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch of being aware of Kerry’s “obstructive efforts” yet failing “to put a stop to Kerry’s political interference” against lawful arrest operations.
The Republican senators have vowed to investigate the whistleblower claims. They sent letters demanding records and internal communications sent by Kerry, current Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CIA Director Bill Burns, and other senior officials who were involved in the nuclear negotiations.
The senators said their goal is to uncover the extent of the alleged obstruction scheme and who at the highest levels of the Obama administration explicitly authorized letting Iranian operatives walk free on American soil to appease Iran and ensure the nuclear deal’s passage.
While Trump ultimately scrapped the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018, these explosive whistleblower claims raise fresh doubts over whether the Obama team engaged in an intentional coverup during the negotiations.
The whistleblower allegations quickly sparked backlash on Capitol Hill, with critics accusing the Obama administration of potentially giving Iranian terrorists and their suppliers a “get out of jail free” card in exchange for a political win.
“If these disturbing allegations are true, the Obama administration put national security at grave risk to secure a deeply flawed deal with Iran,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-A.L., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said. “The American people have a right to know if their government compromised Justice Department operations to coddle terrorists.”
As congressional investigations ramp up, the Biden administration — many of whom are holdovers from Obama’s White House — will face immense pressure heading into the 2024 election.
The whistleblower allegations could outline one of the Obama era’s darkest scandals — letting Iranian nationals tied to weapons and terror activities roam freely to preserve a foreign policy achievement.
At any cost.