House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer reiterated a threat Tuesday to subpoena information on John Kerry’s role as special climate envoy if the Biden administration does not produce documents and information to his congressional panel.
Mr. Kerry, a Democrat who previously served as a senator from Massachusetts and later as Secretary of State in the Obama administration, was appointed by President Biden to the post as special climate envoy.
Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, has threatened earlier to subpoena information about Mr. Kerry’s job, but said the administration continues to elude the requests. He said Mr. Kerry is forging international agreements without oversight.
“If the Department refuses to produce documents and information on this matter, the Committee will have to consider other means, including compulsory process,” he wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Mr. Kerry’s newly created Cabinet-level position did not require Senate confirmation, and GOP lawmakers on the Oversight Committee asked several times for more details about his job from his office and later from Mr. Blinken since the last Congress.
According to Mr. Comer, the committee has yet to receive a response.
“For almost two years, the Biden administration has refused to respond to requests from the Committee on Oversight and Accountability regarding Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) John Kerry’s office. In the 117th Congress, we twice requested information from Envoy Kerry’s office regarding his role as SPEC, a Cabinet-level position that does not require Senate confirmation despite his apparent ability to bind the United States to international agreements. We received no response,” wrote Mr. Comer.
He continued, “We wrote again to Envoy Kerry’s office in the 118th Congress on February 2, 2023, requesting documents and information. The White House referred our letter to the State Department. The State Department has not provided any documents or information.”
Mr. Comer also wrote that Mr. Kerry is negotiating deals with foreign governments, including the Chinese Communist Party, that potentially weakens the United States’ interests.
“As we previously wrote, Envoy Kerry is engaging in activities that skirt congressional authority, threaten foreign policy under the guise of climate advocacy, and could undermine our economic health,” Mr. Comer wrote.
“Yet, Envoy Kerry and his office are refusing to be transparent about their activities, spending, and staffing with the committee—and the American people. We write a final time to request the Department to voluntarily produce the documents and information the committee has requested,” he said.
Mr. Comer requested a list of documents, information, and communications by May 9, covering the time period from January 20, 2021, to the present.
This includes documents and communications (on and off the record) regarding budgets of the SPEC; individuals present at any discussions of FY21 thru FY23 SPEC budgets; a full list of names, titles, and salaries of all SPEC individuals and their financial/ethics disclosures; all documents and communications between any individual or individuals within the office of the SPEC and any third party; all documents and communications about international travel of the SPEC.
The Washington Times reached out to the State Department about Mr. Comer’s letter but did not hear back.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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