Kerry Given Until June 25 to Explain State Dept Cover-Up Allegations

Following reports of alleged State Department cover-ups regarding investigations into misconduct, House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) has sent a letter to Sec. of State John Kerry asking for “answers to three questions” and supporting documentation.

Here is an excerpt from the letter obtained by Ed Morrissey:

Dear Mr. Secretary

I am deeply troubled by allegations made in a recent CBS News story that senior State Department officials prevented the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) from investigating reports of administrative and criminal misconduct within the Department. This story further alleged that the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) produced an October 2012 memorandum that contained eight specific instances in which DSS investigations were “influenced, manipulated, or simply called off.”

On June 10, Breitbart News reported on these various investigations and pointed out that some of them sprang from allegations of “sexual assaults” and “[engaging] prostitutes while on official trips.” And at least one of the investigations was also focused on an alleged drug ring operating near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Royce mentions all these investigations in his letter and points out that a reference to hindering the eight cases was made in a February 2013 draft of a report. But in the final version of that report the references were purged. 

Royce asks Kerry to answer the following questions:

1. Did any State Department official instruct the Diplomatic Security Service not to pursue any of the eight cases identified in the October 2012 OIG memorandum?

2. If so, please identify the individual(s) and the nature of their influence on these DSS investigations.

3. Has the State Department taken any action in response to either the OIG February 2013 Inspection report and/or the CBS News report? If so, please detail them. 

Please also produce all documents and communications referring and/or relating to the eight cases cited by the October 2012 OIG memorandum. 

Royce asks Kerry to comply no later than 5 PM on June 25, 2013.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.