The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into the State Department on Wednesday over allegations that U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has been meeting frequently with climate and environmental activists.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking him to provide unredacted documents and communications related to Kerry's "collusion with leftist environmental groups," as well as information on the composition of Kerry's office, known as SPEC, and payroll. He is asking for the requested documents to arrive at the committee no later than Feb. 21 and cover the time period from Jan. 20, 2021, to the present.
The committee is focusing on the meetings of the "Kitchen Cabinet," which the State Department refers to as an "existing group of [nongovernmental organizations] that sometimes asks SPEC to brief them."
"Meetings with leftist environmental organizations, sometimes collectively addressed as
the 'Kitchen Cabinet,' go far beyond normal briefings and raise questions regarding possible
conflicts of interests involving SPEC staff’s ties to these groups regarding climate finance
investments," Comer wrote in the letter .
"Documents received by the Committee illustrate that the coordination and briefings are anything but ordinary—a two-way street exists for the purposes of obtaining 'off the record' information, receiving climate finance consultation, and influencing U.S. foreign policy positions," the chairman continued.
Communications reviewed by the committee, Comer said, show groups asking for and receiving consultation from the climate envoy office on "strategic guidance for navigating 'funding gap[s]' for climate-related finance action" that could be used to support "possible wealth transfers or insider dealings."
The letter included a Nov. 14, 2022, communication between the State Department and other organizations reminding the collective that "today's chat was off the record" and that "obviously Sec. Kerry was looking to continue to be candid within the circle of trust" and did not want the discussion shared with "external parties/press."
Several of the groups receiving the communication were the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Other communications revealed that the Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Sequoia Climate Fund sought counsel from Kerry's office on climate finance policies.
Comer said the committee is "troubled" by the frequency and content that is being discussed at the "off the record" meetings between the SPEC office and outside groups, "considering that the Biden Administration has proposed $1 trillion in climate investments over the next 10 years."
"The Committee has learned these groups will go as far to hire independent consultants to provide funding opportunities designated for placement of U.S. taxpayer dollars—all while receiving preferential treatment from Envoy Kerry, the SPEC Office, and the State. Department who distribute taxpayer dollars to fund their projects," Comer said.
An internal State Department email involving SPEC staff suggested that Mark Gallogly, who the committee said is a major Democrat donor and private equity investor, was hired by Kerry to consult on public and private climate financing initiatives.
The Kentucky Republican claimed the State Department has not released any information to the committee related to ethics and financial disclosures of past or present SPEC staff, who "require heightened accountability for their ties to these groups."
"The American people deserve to know what is being promised by Secretary Kerry and SPEC staff in off-the-record meetings with leftist environmental groups and whether SPEC staff are undermining U.S. foreign policy, energy policy, and national security policy and discuss climate investments," Comer said. "SPEC staff’s ties to these groups, in addition to potential foreign government officials and business interests, require transparency and accountability."
A spokesperson for the State Department told the Washington Examiner that the "State Department does not comment on congressional correspondence."
Comer's letter to Blinken is the latest step in a larger effort by House Oversight to examine Kerry and SPEC's operations. Kerry was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, and his position did not require Senate approval. He also was given a seat on the president's Cabinet and National Security Council. The SPEC has an annual budget of around $13.9 million with approval for 45 staffers.
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Despite Kerry's high-profile travels to climate summits and his diplomatic engagements looking to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy, the SPEC has remained relatively silent about its operations and staff members, drawing ire from Republicans who have demanded greater transparency from the State Department agency.
Kerry announced in January he is stepping down as climate envoy for Biden in late winter or early spring, planning to help with the president's reelection campaign.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Comer for comment.
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