Kamala Harris’ national security adviser being investigated by Congress over possible ties to Iran

 Congressional Republicans are investigating Vice President Kamala Harris' national security adviser, Phil Gordon, over his alleged ties to an Iran-backed influence network.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) are heading the probe, questioning Gordon's connections to Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Department of Defense official with top-secret security clearance who was recently outed in a report by Semafor accusing him of being a member of an Iranian-run influence network that reports back to Tehran's foreign ministry and helps push its policies among lawmakers in Washington.  

Tabatabai's alleged links to the organization prompted a congressional probe and calls among Republicans for her security clearance to be yanked.

Chris Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations, disclosed the investigation during testimony before Congress. Tabatabai serves as Maier's chief of staff.

Part of the investigation is concerned with how much Iranian interests have influenced the administration of President Joe Biden and Harris, and the effect this may have had on the national security of the United States. As the 2024 election approaches, Gordon's ties to pro-Tehran advocacy groups are likely to remain a focal point of scrutiny.

"Before joining your office, Gordon co-authored at least three opinion pieces with Tabatabai blatantly promoting the Iranian regime's perspective and interests. In a March 2020 piece, Gordon and Tabatabai claimed continued sanctions on Iran would create 'catastrophe' in the Middle East," wrote Cotton and Stefanik in a letter to Harris. "In another, they wrote sanctions could lead to new Iranian efforts to 'lash out with attacks on its neighbors, and on Americans and American interests in the Middle East.' Each prediction was as wrong, as it was biased in favor of Tehran."

Tabatabai not properly screened before taking on Pentagon job

When asked if Tabatabai was subjected to a "full-scope" security screening before assuming her Pentagon job, Maier told Congress: "I don't know that information."

Maier also said that the Defense Department is reviewing whether Tabatabai disclosed on her security screening forms that she had maintained contacts with the Iranian government and its senior officials. This type of information must generally be disclosed on these forms, though there is a statute of limitation on how far the information goes back. Maier said the probe is likely to review the time period in which Tabatabai was alleged to be in contact with Iran's foreign ministry.

In their letter to Harris, Cotton and Stefanik requested detailed information about Gordon’s connections to Tabatabai, allegedly involved in an Iranian operation to expand Tehran’s influence in the United States. The lawmakers are concerned about Gordon's access to classified information, questioning whether his ties to Iranian enablers might disqualify him from holding a top-secret security clearance.

The letter also highlights Gordon's association with the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), an organization accused of serving as Iran's unregistered lobbying arm in the United States. Gordon spoke at NIAC's Leadership Conference in 2014 and 2016, around the time he worked on the nuclear agreement with Iran during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

"The Biden-Harris Administration is no stranger to Iran accommodators, appeasers, and accomplices," Cotton and Stefanik wrote. They emphasized ongoing concerns, noting that Tabatabai remains employed in the Defense Department and that the Biden-Harris administration's former envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly passing on classified intelligence to Tehran.

The lawmakers pressed Harris to disclose whether she was aware of Gordon's connections to Tabatabai and the NIAC when she hired him. They also questioned whether Gordon was properly screened and vetted and if he received a security clearance.

Additionally, they inquired if Harris initiated an investigation into Gordon after Tabatabai's connections to the Iranian Foreign Ministry were revealed.