House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding he shed more light on what John Kerry has done as climate envoy or face a possible subpoena.
“Envoy Kerry is engaging in activities that skirt congressional authority, threaten foreign policy under the guise of climate advocacy, and could undermine our economic health. Yet, Envoy Kerry and his office are refusing to be transparent about their activities, spending, and staffing with the Committee—and the American people,” Comer wrote in his April 25 letter.
Kerry, the Democrats’ 2004 presidential nominee, also participates in National Security Council meetings.
The letter lays out a May 9 deadline for Blinken to provide details on the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate’s office, including past and present budgets, current and previous employees, and foreign and domestic travel.
Oversight staff on April 26 told The Epoch Times they had not heard back regarding the letter.
“As a general matter, we do not comment on communication with Congress. We can confirm we have received the letter and will respond accordingly,” a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an April 26 message.
“The State Department is committed to working with Congressional committees with jurisdiction over U.S. foreign policy to accommodate their need for information to help them conduct oversight for their legitimate legislative purposes,” the spokesperson added.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, delivers remarks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Feb. 1, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Comer first sought information from Kerry regarding his role as early as June 2021 in a letter he co-authored with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), now chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
“It appears that in your role, you have some ability to set foreign policy and to bind the United States to international agreements, despite not being confirmed with advice and consent of the Senate,” Comer and Jordan stated in that letter.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, attends the committee’s ‘Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan’ field hearing at Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City on April 17, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)Under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president may appoint officers of the United States “with the advice and consent of the Senate.”
The June 2021 letter questioned Kerry’s apparent ability to cut climate-related deals with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
It cited an April 2021 joint statement from Kerry and his Chinese counterpart.
“It is of paramount importance that we conduct oversight over your position as the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and how the position will impact the interests of the United States, especially where the role appears to intersect with the U.S. response to a hostile foreign regime such as the Chinese Communist Party,” Comer and Jordan wrote.
In a February 2023 letter to Kerry, Comer said his June 2021 letter and an October 2022 follow-up letter had gone unanswered.
The February 2023 letter raised questions about Kerry’s apparent willingness to excuse the CCP’s human rights violations in the name of climate diplomacy.
Oversight staff told The Epoch Times that the White House responded to that letter by directing them to the State Department, stating that the department employs Kerry.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Executive Office of the President for comment.