WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to direct the Department of Justice to prosecute the president of the Iranian regime, Ebrahim Raisi, and bring him to justice for his crimes, including his plots to assassinate American officials.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

September 23, 2022

The Honorable Joe Biden

President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden:

This week, shortly before you addressed the United Nations General Assembly, Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian regime’s president, spoke to the Assembly. Despite the fact that my colleagues and I previously urged you to bar Raisi from entering our country, you allowed him in anyway.[1] At the General Assembly, Raisi spent the better part of 40 minutes criticizing freedom-loving countries, like the United States. He insisted that Iran is a model of human rights, even as his regime is killing demonstrators who are protesting the unjust death of Mahsa Amini.

As you know, while deputy prosecutor of Tehran, Raisi served on a Death Commission which sentenced approximately 5,000 prisoners to death, including women and children, without the right to appeal or a fair trial. Throughout his time in government, he engaged in international crimes including extrajudicial prosecution, torture and execution. Because of his crimes, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Raisi in 2019, and in 2021 the U.S. State Department followed suit.

Then, just this year, the U.S. Department of Justice shockingly revealed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plotted to assassinate U.S. officials on American soil. One IRGC plot to kill former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former U.S. National Security Advisor, John Bolton, began just two months after Raisi took office as president. Further reports have surfaced showing that the IRGC has been plotting a similar assassination against former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In the face of these gravely disturbing reports, your administration ignored the wishes of so many Americans and allowed Raisi entrance to America and a stage to spread his lies to the world. You could have arrested him and held him accountable for his abuses, but you looked the other way. When you could have stood up for security and freedom, and prosecuted Raisi for his crimes, you floundered. Fortunately, it is not too late to reverse course and deliver justice to all those he has wronged.

The protests in Iran are continuing, and the Iranian people are standing up for civil liberties and basic rights. The regime continues to support terrorist cells throughout the world, destabilize the region, threaten our ally, Israel, and do harm to Americans. Raisi is a danger to us all. I urge you to use the powers of the Department of Justice to prosecute Raisi and bring him to justice for his crimes.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott

United States Senator

###