President Biden’s special Iran envoy had his security clearance suspended earlier this year after “serious” issues were raised internally about his handling of “protected material,” according to a leaked State Department memo published over the weekend by an Iranian media outlet.

Robert Malley was placed on unpaid leave effective at the end of June, but the State Department declined to specify why, drawing scrutiny from congressional Republicans.

The Tehran Times, an English-language daily newspaper believed to have close ties to the theocracy’s foreign ministry, purported to shed light on the matter Sunday by publishing an April 21 memo labeled “sensitive but unclassified” and addressed to Malley from Erin Smart, director of the Office of Personnel Security and Suitability in the Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

In the memo, Smart wrote that the office “has received information regarding you that raises serious security concerns and can be disqualifying under National Security Adjudicative Guidelines E (Personal Conduct), K (Handling Protected Information) and M (Use of Information Technology).”

The Post has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the memo.

“We are aware of these reports,” a State Department spokesperson told The Post Monday evening. “The Department does not comment on internal matters. Rob Malley remains on leave. We have nothing further to share at this time due to privacy considerations.”

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https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/key-biden-official-lost-security-clearance-over-handling-of-classified-material-iranian-media-claims/