Comer seeks interview with Podesta in probe of top climate diplomat

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has requested an interview with White House official John Podesta as part of a probe into Podesta’s role as the nation’s top climate diplomat.

Comer, in a letter to Podesta on Wednesday, asked for a “transcribed interview” to examine his work with the State Department’s office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC). 

“The Biden Administration has taken affirmative actions to obfuscate oversight of the SPEC office by elevating you as a Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, thereby insulating your new role,” Comer wrote. 

“We believe that you have information that will assist us fully in understanding the coordination you maintain with both the Department and former Envoy [John] Kerry on SPEC-related matters,” he added. 

In a separate letter, Comer also requested interviews with State Department officials.

The administration announced in January that Podesta, a White House official, would become an adviser for international climate policy after Kerry announced his departure from the administration. Kerry served as the special presidential envoy for climate and was based out of the State Department. 

Podesta, however, has continued to serve from the White House, where he also advises on implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ climate, tax and health care bill. 

A 2022 defense authorization bill requires special envoys to go through the Senate confirmation process. 

The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comments.