Obama State Department blocked FBI from arresting Iranian suspects in WMD probe, senators say

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson unveiled evidence Wednesday that former Secretary of State John Kerry's State Department "actively interfered" with the FBI's attempts to arrest people suspected of being in the United States illegally to support Iran's efforts to create weapons of mass destruction.

Whistleblowers allegedly told the senators and shared unclassified documents with them that supported their claims, and showed that the Justice Department and FBI did not "failed to take the necessary steps to stop Kerry’s obstructive efforts against law enforcement.”

The senators claimed the reason for the State Department's interference was because of ongoing negotiations related to the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, which former President Barack Obama signed in 2015.

“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 in letters to the State and Justice Departments, and the FBI. “The records also show that DOJ and FBI leadership apparently allowed it to happen until the Trump administration altered course.”  

The senators also claimed the actions came while the Obama-Biden administration attempted to publicly show they were against Iran getting nuclear weapons by imposing sanctions on "Iranian individuals, companies, and organizations for involvement in nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, support for terrorist groups, and human rights abuses." 

The letters also outline eight examples where the DOJ or FBI could have moved forward on arrests of suspected Iranian supporters, but chose not to. One of the suspects was on the "terrorism watch list" and another returned to Iran. Two suspects were finally arrested after former President Donald Trump's State Department lifted the block.

Grassley and Johnson are now requesting archived emails from Kerry, CIA Director Bill Burns, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman by June 4. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.