Better question: How long has Iran penetrated the Biden administration? Best question: How long did Iran penetrate the Barack Obama administration? Both employed Rob Malley to craft the Iran-friendly Obama and Biden policies, before he got indefinitely suspended last year over ambiguous allegations of security violations. Malley is presently under multiple investigations, with Congress demanding answers as to Malley's activities. 

In October 2023, two of Malley's top aides got fingered as members of an Iranian spy ring, Semafor reported at the time. One of these, Ariane Tabatabai, worked at the Pentagon -- and in fact still does despite her apparent connection to Iran's espionage activities. Tabatabai has worked with Phil Gordon to promote pro-Iran policies within the government and in the media, co-authoring opinion pieces in major newspapers.

And guess what Gordon's doing these days? He's national security adviser to Kamala Harris. That has Tom Cotton and Elise Stefanik asking some sharp questions about Iranian influence on the Vice President and newly anointed Democrat presidential nominee:

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) launched a probe into Vice President Kamala Harris's national security adviser over his ties to an Iranian government influence network, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

In a Wednesday letter to Harris, Cotton and Stefanik asked the presumptive Democratic nominee to provide information about her adviser Phil Gordon's "connections to Ms. Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Department of Defense official who was reportedly involved in an Iranian government operation to expand Tehran's soft power in the United States."

Gordon, the letter notes, coauthored at least three opinion pieces with Tabatabai that argued against sanctions on the Iranian regime. Tabatabai was outed last year as an alleged member of an Iranian-run influence network that reported back to Tehran's foreign ministry.

How does Tabatabai still have a security clearance, let alone a job at the Department of Defense? And how does anyone connected to her and/or Malley rise to gain access to the leadership of the US executive branch? Malley remains "suspended," but his connections remain active and apparently highly influential. 

Intel analyst John Schindler has followed this story for a very long time and asks the same questions, and more. In a lengthy report on his Top Secret Umbra Substack yesterday (freely accessible, not paywalled). Schindler provides background and assesses the risk of the apparent Iranian-influence penetration of Harris' office:

The mysterious Malley saga includes other players, several of whom are linked to the National Iranian American Council, an NGO that advocates in Tehran’s interests. NIAC is viewed as a front for Iranian intelligence by Western counterspies. The NIAC orbit also touched the Iran Experts Initiative, which served to push Tehran’s line on several security-related issues. IEI members included multiple Malley friends and proteges, including Ariane Tabatabai, who was appointed chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, a highly sensitive Pentagon position requiring Top Secret security clearances. Requests by Congress for information have been met with more stonewalling by Team Biden, and Tabatabai is reportedly still in the Pentagon, notwithstanding that she appears to be an Iranian spy of some sort.

Is Vice President Kamala Harris involved with this Iranian espionage ring? Certainly the extended Malley network has been very welcome in the Biden White House, allowing NIAC access to the administration (just as it enjoyed under Obama). Harris criticized the Soleimani assassination, while her public appearance alongside known NIAC agents raises counterintelligence questions. Now Congress is asking what’s going on here. ...

Cotton and Stefanik acidly observe that “the Biden-Harris administration is no stranger to Iran accommodators, appeasers, and accomplices. Ms. Tabatabai remains gainfully employed in the Defense Department, helping oversee sensitive special operations.” They allege a dubious relationship between Gordon and Tabatabai, as well as NIAC[.]

Schindler also wants answers to the questions Cotton and Stefanik ask Harris:

We request you provide answers to the following questions no later than August 9, 2024:

1. When you hired Mr. Gordon, were you aware of his connections with Ariane Tabatabai, the IEI, and the NIAC?

2. Did Mr. Gordon undergo security screening and receive a security clearance when you hired him? Does he have an active security clearance?

3. Did you request further investigation into Mr. Gordon when Ms. Tabatabai’s connections to the Iranian Foreign Ministry were revealed in September 2023? Did Mr. Gordon admit and report his ties to this individual?

4. Have you or Mr. Gordon met with other members of the IEI, including Ali Vaez? Have you met with Ms. Tabatabai personally?

5. As the Vice President do you support Ms. Tabatabai’s continued employment at the Department of Defense?

6. As the Vice President what specific actions will you take to address the issue of Iranian sympathizers, aside from yourself, within the Administration?

I'd add another: Who recommended Phil Gordon to you as an adviser, and on what basis?

Congress has to start probing this issue immediately, especially given the rapid increase in aggressiveness of Iran during the Biden term. Cotton may not be able to force hearings in the Senate while Democrats retain the majority, and there is zero chance that Chuck Schumer will do something that will embarrass Harris. However, Stefanik should press for immediate hearings in the House, and Speaker Mike Johnson can facilitate that -- and must.