Congress demands to see if Iran is paying Americans to help influence Biden policy

The U.S. government should investigate what is alleged to be a covert Iranian propaganda operation being run on American soil, according to a congressional request.

"Iran remains one of the biggest threats to the United States in the region. It is important we ensure they are not improperly using their money to influence politicians and thought leaders in our own government. Any influence used to soften America’s stands towards Iran threatens our national security. This is why I and my colleagues wrote this letter — to protect our national security and hold Iran accountable," Herrell told Fox News. Herrell's warning comes after a Massachusetts political scientist, Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in January with acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered Iranian agent. The feds say that Afrasiabi portrayed himself as an objective Iranian expert in his media interviews and writings, including penning two opinion pieces on Iran for The New York Times, while authorities say he was actually on Tehran's payroll to spread the pro-regime party line. He allegedly was paid "approximately $265,000" by Iran's Mission to the United Nations as "a secret employee ... who was being paid to spread their propaganda," say the feds. He is charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA.) Herrell and the letter's co-signers are calling on the Biden administration to create a special task force to "identify, track and arrest other Iranian Nationals who are in violation of FARA," create a list of potential violations similar to the "FBI Most Wanted" list, establish an FBI office to focus on Iranian influence operations as well as "investigate and monitor groups, charities and think tanks that get funding from the U.S. government to ensure American taxpayer money does not directly or indirectly go to those who are Islamic Republic agents and lobbyists."