Congressmen probe John Kerry’s ties to eco groups, efforts to ‘shield’ from oversight
- October 4, 2022
Thomas Catenacci and Houston Keene, Fox News
Top House Republicans are probing Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry over his role in the Biden administration and alleged efforts to “shield” information from oversight.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the top GOP member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, penned a letter Tuesday to Kerry, requesting information about his office and communications with outside parties. Comer’s letter cited multiple Fox News Digital reports showing that Kerry’s office has been tight-lipped about internal operations and has coordinated with far-left environmental groups on policy.
“It is of critical importance that we conduct oversight over John Kerry’s position as the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and examine how the role impacts the interests of the United States,” Comer told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Despite not being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Secretary Kerry appears to be actively negotiating with the Chinese Communist Party and is partnering with radical, left-wing environmental groups to push Green New Deal policies at the expense of the American people,” Comer added. “Instead of ignoring our requests for information, the Biden Administration should provide the American people details on Secretary Kerry’s role and what authority, if any, he has to broker deals with hostile foreign adversaries.”
Emails obtained in August by Fox News Digital via government watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) showed officials in Kerry’s office discussed plans to keep certain high-level discussions “off paper.” The office further redacted the name of every State Department official included, either directly or indirectly, in the emails.
In addition, the email dump revealed that Kerry’s office, which represents the U.S. in international climate discussions, has consulted with environmental groups on multiple occasions. The internal communications didn’t show any similar meetings or discussions with fossil fuel industry stakeholders.