House Republicans are continuing to go after John Podesta in his role as special adviser to the president for international climate policy, saying the position was created to skirt the Senate confirmation process.
In new letters Wednesday to both Podesta and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) requested transcribed interviews with administration officials relating to Podesta’s appointment earlier this year to succeed John Kerry, who was until the spring serving as the special presidential envoy for climate.
Comer accused Podesta — who is continuing to serve a dual role as a senior presidential adviser overseeing Inflation Reduction Act implementation — of “misuse of appropriated funds” by engaging in activities through the State Department, despite the fact that the Biden administration has repeatedly said Podesta is an employee of the White House and not State.
The committee chair also made clear in his letter to Blinken that his concerns extend beyond Podesta’s appointment to the larger climate envoy office, asking that several State Department officials be made available for questioning as well to talk not just about Podesta’s job responsibilities but about a larger pattern of alleged coordination between the administration and “leftist environmental groups” in developing a climate agenda.
