Malley, appointed as President Biden’s special representative for Iran in 2021, played a key role in secret negotiations with the Iranian government. However, he lost his security clearance in April 2023 due to allegations of transferring classified documents to personal devices, which were subsequently stolen by an unidentified cyber actor.

A critical report released by the State Department in September indicated that senior officials had permitted Malley to retain access to classified information even after his suspension. Alarmingly, the report suggested that department leadership may have sought to obscure the matter from Congress and the public, raising concerns about a possible cover-up.

Shortly after Malley’s suspension was made public in August 2023, the *Tehran Times* published sensitive yet unclassified State Department documents that included an explanation for the revocation of Malley’s security clearance. A month later, the publication released audio recordings of National Security Council coordinator Brett McGurk discussing “national security options towards Iran.”

In addition to its lawsuit against the Biden administration, CASA has also filed legal action against the National Archives, requesting documents related to Malley’s tenure as special assistant to President Obama during the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiations. Despite identifying over 200,000 relevant files in December, the Archives has yet to release any documents.

Furthermore, the Washington Free Beacon reports that several of Malley’s former associates continue to hold sensitive positions, including Ariane Tabatabai, who remains in a senior role at the Pentagon despite being linked to a covert Iranian influence operation known as the Iran Experts Initiative. In response, America First Legal initiated separate legal proceedings last month concerning the Biden administration's alleged hindrance of investigations into Tabatabai's activities.